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Nine individuals, aged between 31 and 72, have been charged with various offenses following a comprehensive ten-month probe into an alleged scheme involving interstate drug trafficking.
The investigation was sparked in May last year after a dramatic rescue of four crew members from a commercial trawler that had sunk off the coast of Port Albert in Victoria.
In the months that followed, authorities maintained vigilant surveillance on several local vessels, suspecting their involvement in a drug smuggling network.
Officials claim the alleged syndicate repeatedly attempted to navigate the Bass Strait with the intention of deploying smaller boats to intercept substantial drug shipments from a larger “mother ship” traversing Australian waters.
Over the past month, multiple search warrants were executed in various Victorian suburbs, including Morwell, Glenroy, Cranbourne, Cranbourne West, Cranbourne South, and Greenvale, as part of the ongoing investigation.
Following the searches, eight men were arrested in Victoria, and one man was arrested in Sydney.
Four of the men were also charged in relation to the seizure of 30kg of methamphetamine in Perth on August 11 last year and the confiscation of 41kg of cocaine by Victorian police just two days later.
Police will allege these two incidents are tied to the syndicate, which would allegedly exploit ties to the trucking industry to move illicit drugs interstate.
Police have not ruled out further arrests as they continue to investigate the international syndicate behind an alleged mothership attempting to drop illicit cargo into Australian waters.
“Organised criminals are sending their business to our shores because of the insatiable Australian demand for illicit commodities and the community’s willingness to pay top dollar for them,” AFP Detective Superintendent Ray Imbriano said.
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