Hooley freakin’ dooley this is a lot of drugs.
NSW Police, in conjunction with the Australian Federal Police and Australian Border Force, arrested 15 men all suspected to be part of a massive drug importation ring in an enormous Christmas Day raid on a vessel that was temporarily tied up at a commercial berth at the site of the Sydney Fish Market.
The joint operation between the state and federal authorities has been an on-going investigation for some two-and-a-half years, and spanned two countries.
Police seized 500kg of cocaine from a dinghy at Brooklyn on the NSW Central Coast. Meanwhile over in Tahiti, authorities snared over 600kg of the drug in a haul that the investigation asserts was headed for Australia. Combined, the haul has an estimated value of around $360million.
Authorities will allege that a larger ship anchored out at sea houses drugs smuggled from Chile, and that a fishing trawler named Dalrymple was used to ferry the drugs from the boat to various docks in NSW.
Sydney trawler was allegedly used to cart $360m worth of cocaine. pic.twitter.com/Dlf1hwEo3R
— Sunrise (@sunriseon7) December 28, 2016
Among the 15 arrested and charged with crimes relating to the bust are former Eastern Suburbs Roosters lock John Tobin, who played some 125 games for the club in the 1980s, and Bondi entrepreneur Darren Mohr. All of the men arrested were refused bail after attending initial hearing proceedings in court throughout this week.
NSW Police are due to front media in relation to the bust later this morning.
More as this story develops.
Source: SMH.
