Two men and a literal boat load of drugs ran into quite a mishap off the coast of Western Australia on Monday when their 50 foot yacht ran aground.
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Now, I am not a drug smuggler, but having watched my fair share of underbelly I consider myself a little bit of an expert when it comes to the business. So, in my expert opinion, I’m gonna go ahead and say that if you’re smuggling a boat load of drugs into the country, it’s probably best not to crash said boat into a reef.
The accused culprits Graham Palmer (34) and Antoine Dicenta (51) then allegedly transported the drugs to a small island nearby using a smaller boat, effectively abandoning the 50 footer on the bed of the reef.
Obviously, authorities tracked them down because people reported the abandoned yacht and called in a sea and air search of the nearby area.
The pair were allegedly caught on the island while trying to bury the drugs under some seaweed. Honestly, this is probably why we keep seeing huge bricks of cocaine washing up on beaches all over the place.
But Western Australia Police Commissioner Chris Dawson (no, not *that* Chris Dawson) claims their efforts to hide the drugs were “pretty poor.”
‘When those persons were under observation they tried to conceal both the drugs and themselves,’ he told reporters.
According to police, the loot was valued at about a billion Australian dollars. Forty bags filled with what appears to be cocaine were seized during the raid.
The two men, one from Britain and one from France, were arrested on the island and brought to mainland Western Australia for questioning.
Both men appeared in court on Thursday for possession and importing commercial quantities of illicit substances into Australia.
They will remain in custody until their hearing on September 20.
