Australia seizes more than 800kg of cocaine worth US$210 million from cargo ship
- The drugs, which reportedly came from South America, were found hidden on a merchant vessel off Western Australia
- Three men were arrested in Sydney and Perth in connection with the seizure
Australian authorities retrieved 29 packages contains numerous one-kilogram blocks of a white powdered substance which was later revealed to be cocaine, Australian police said in a statement.
Police believe the seizure will add up to 800 kilograms of cocaine once testing of the total weight and purity of the drugs is completed. They estimate that amount would be worth about A$320 million (US$210 million).
Authorities investigating bulk cargo carriers destined for Western Australian ports on May 24 assisted the crew of a 10m cabin cruiser – named ‘No Fixed Address’ – in distress near Rottnest Island, about 22km off the coast of Perth.
According to authorities, the boat had been bought using cash a day earlier and the three men on board “appeared to have limited boating experience.”
