SYDNEY, Aug 18 (NNN-AAP) – Australian Federal Police (AFP), confirmed today that, three men have been charged in Western Australia, for their involvement in the importation and possession of about 560 kg of cocaine.
On Aug 11, police officers executed a search warrant at a Kalbarri property, about 570 km north-west of Perth, where they located about 560 kg of cocaine wrapped in plastic.
The drug haul had an estimated value of about 224 million Australian dollars (about 144 million U.S. dollars) and could be equivalent to 2.8 million individual street deals.
Besides, a boat, two vehicles, and about 30,000 Australian dollars (about 19,227 dollars) in cash were also seized from the property in Kalbarri.
AFP alleged that the three men, aged 49, 32, and 29, were responsible for purchasing a boat and collecting the cocaine, after a bulk carrier vessel dropped it into the ocean, off the coast of Western Australia.
The 49-year-old and the 32-year-old have been charged with drug importation and possession, while the 29-year-old has been charged only with possession.
According to AFP, all three offenders were remanded in custody and would appear in Perth Magistrates Court in Sept.