A yacht that washed up on a deserted tropical island in the South Pacific with a badly decomposed body on board was carrying more than 200kg of cocaine worth up to US$120 million, police said yesterday.
Australian Federal Police said international law agencies had been monitoring the 13-metre yacht JeReVe from when it left South America until they lost contact with it last month.
Two divers discovered the boat earlier this month off Tonga's Vava'u island group and made the grim discovery of the dead white male when they went aboard. They then reported their find to police.
"Also located on board that vessel were 204, 1kg blocks of cocaine destined for the Australian market," acting national manager for serious and organised crime David Sharpe told a press conference.
The massive seizure, with an estimated Australian street value of up to A$116 million (HK$930.3 million), was now part of an ongoing operation involving police in Tonga, the Cook Islands, Australia and the US Drug Enforcement Administration.
Tonga's coroner was conducting an inquiry regarding the dead man.