A cross-state cocaine bust has seen eight men and a woman with alleged links to a “ruthless” Colombian drug cartel arrested, and a clandestine coke laboratory in rural Queensland shutdown.
The Australian Federal Police said the arrests were in New South Wales, the Northern Territory and Queensland last night, and have disrupted the Australian operations of an international drug ring.
A 33-year-old man arrested outside a gym in Darwin was alleged to have been running the Australian activities of a South American organised crime group.
“It will be alleged the man … received instructions from overseas about a shipment of cocaine smuggled into NSW,” the AFP said in a statement.
A search warrant was executed at the Darwin man’s home, where the AFP said they seized thousands of dollars in cash, electronic devices and steroids.
A 7.8 metre boat was also seized from the Top End residence, believed to be an “instrument of crime”.
“The AFP is investigating if the vessel was acquired to collect illicit drugs dropped at sea, hundreds of kilometres off the NT coast,” police said in a statement.
“A Gold Coast man, 30, was also arrested in Darwin and charged over his alleged involvement in the manufacturing operation.”
Five men and a woman were also arrested in Queensland overnight, police said, including two men at a rural property in Durong, about 300 kilometres northwest of Brisbane, where they were allegedly running a drug lab to manufacture commercial quantities of cocaine.
Two Brisbane men, 37-year-old Tuna Samuelu and 31-year-old Douglas Sinnamon, have been released on bail with their matters to return to court next month.
During bail hearings in Brisbane, the court was told Mr Sinnamon allegedly constructed the shed that housed the lab.
Mr Samuelu, who is is accused of trafficking 11 kilograms of cocaine, allegedly picked up the drugs from the shed.
AFP Assistant Commissioner Eastern Command Kirsty Schofield said the “innovative and dogged investigation spanning three states had struck a significant blow to a well-resourced and organised crime syndicate that was targeting and operating in Australia”.
“This was a sophisticated, ambitious and ruthless organised crime group that could order the movement of hundreds of kilograms of cocaine with one phone call,” she said.
“This investigation has stopped a very large shipment from being passed on to multiple distributors and hitting Australian streets, and prevented millions of dollars from being pumped into the economy.”
Police said the cocaine – “which was suspended in another substance inside plastic buckets” – was allegedly being couriered between Sydney and Durong.
