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A cargo ship bound for Australia has been found to have a massive 2.5 tonnes of cocaine onboard, worth about $800million.
Officers from the New Caledonia-based French Navy, with surveillance support from a Falcon jet, undertook the huge operation to seize the illicit drug on June 25 from a vessel that departed Peru in May.
Seven crew members from the SM Dante were taken into custody in New Caledonia.
It’s understood the massive drug shipment, a record the small pacific nation, was bound for Queensland.
New Caledonian public prosecutor Yves Dupas revealed the cocaine was packaged within about fifty bags.
The operation to seize the drugs took place about 400 nautical miles off Noumea, the capital of the French territory.
It comes just days after over half a tonne of cocaine was prevented from reaching Australia following a two-month Australian Border Force-led operation.
The ABF worked in partnership with Customs authorities from Jamaica, United States, France in French Polynesia and New Caledonia, and New Zealand.
The French Navy intercepted the shipment when they searched a ship near New Caledonia
Officers seized approximately 2.5 tonnes of cocaine, worth about $800million, onboard a vessel that sailed from Peru and was bound for Australia
The $800million seizure (pictured) is just days after it was revealed another half a tonne of cocaine was prevented from reaching Australia following a separate two-month operation
In a statement, the ABF revealed they had targeted the ‘Rip’ concealment method.
The method exploits legitimate cargo shipments, whereby the drug is concealed in shipping containers and often unwittingly transported by sea faring vessels before it is swiftly removed by corrupt workers at a point along the route.
Throughout April and May – before the massive 2.5 tonne find – the joint effort led to the seizure of over 500kgs of cocaine.
During the operation more than 142kgs of cocaine was seized in French Polynesia hidden within insulation panels in a refrigeration unit.
More than 67kg of cocaine was seized in New Caledonia buried behind panels in a shipping container, in a separate detection.
Three other separate seizures saw over 285kgs of cocaine detected hidden within shipping containers arriving into Melbourne.
ABF Commander International Claire Rees said: ‘Organised crime groups are highly sophisticated enterprises, with incredibly deep pockets and a constantly expanding global reach.’
‘The Rip method is becoming a hugely popular method of evasion, but it is only a possible strategy due to the increase of trusted insiders and criminal infiltration throughout the global supply chain.
Seven crew members were taken into custody on the idyllic island nation of New Caledonia
The joint operation that included Australia Border Force targeted the ‘Rip’ concealment method, which uses shipping containers to conceal and transport drugs
In addition to the 2.5 tonne cocaine find, other operations in recent weeks have found 67kg of cocaine in New Caledonia buried behind shipping container panels and 285kgs of cocaine hidden in shipping containers arriving into Melbourne
‘The operation is one of many examples of ABFs commitment to deepening our connection and capabilities with our international counterparts and our valued Industry partners.’
‘It was a great example of the ABF officers embedded overseas and in Australia, working with international partners, combining trust, effort and resources for a common goal – to halt criminal intrusion on our global supply chain and keep our communities safe.’
A spokesperson for the French Customs Agency added: ‘French customs welcomes the excellent cooperation between its various overseas services and Australian authorities in this operation against international drug trafficking by sea.
‘The seizure … of cocaine by customs officers from French Polynesia and New Caledonia demonstrates the effectiveness of a joint action and confirms the high level of collaboration in information sharing and intelligence between our territories.’
