Australian detectives belonging to the nation’s Strike Force discovered a cache of $5.8 million worth of cocaine which had been smuggled into the country from Greece recently.
The drug had been hidden inside Capri wafer cone packages which came into Australia by air. The air cargo consignment was inspected by agents from the Australian Border Force
Thirteen kilograms (28.6 pounds) of the dangerous drug were then discovered packed inside the cone packages, which were found discovered inside a boat tender’s steering console.
“Inconsistencies” in the package
Australian media reports stated that Border Force agents had looked askance at the packages earlier this month after spotting “inconsistencies” in them.
After breaking open the packages, they discovered a “white substance” which had been concealed inside them. Agents immediately sent the substance off to a laboratory for testing.
Upon the confirmation that the substance was indeed cocaine, a joint law enforcement operation called Strike Force Mactier was launched, which resulted in the arrest of a 34-year-old man during a vehicle stop at Bay Road, Waverton at about 1 pm on Tuesday.
After searching his vehicle, officers seized $7,690 in cash, as well as mobile phones and SIM cards. Later on, a search warrant was carried out at a house in Cromer, where agents also seized a mobile phone, another SIM card, steroid tablets and documentation.
Bail refused
All these items are currently being analyzed by the authorities.
The individual was taken to Chatswood Police Station, where he was charged with possession of a criminal quantity of an illegal border-controlled drug, dealing with property that was the proceeds of a crime and possession of an anabolic or androgenic steroidal agent.
The man was refused bail and he is appearing before Manly Local Court today. Further investigations on the part of the Border Control, the NSW Police Organized Crime Squad, the Australian Federal Police and the NSW Crime Commission are ongoing.
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