‘Quite a chunk’: Australia nets 1.1 tonnes of cocaine in record bust
A major cocaine ring has been dismantled in joint operations with Tahiti, Australian police said Thursday, with a record 1.1 tonnes of cocaine worth hundreds of millions of dollars seized.
Police listed 600kg of cocaine intercepted by the French navy off Tahiti, 500kg seized on Christmas Day in Sydney and 32kg of heroin in Fiji – all destined for the Australian market.
It’s quite a chunk out of the cocaine economy... over one tonne of drugs has been prevented from reaching the streets ... and harming the community
“The size of that seizure collectively – 1.1 tonnes – makes it the largest cocaine seizure in Australian law enforcement history,” said Australian Federal Police acting Assistant Commissioner Chris Sheehan.
The street value of the cocaine, shipped from South America to the South Pacific, was estimated at A$360 million (US$260 million).
“The criminal syndicate that we have dismantled over the past few days was a robust, resilient and determined syndicate,” he said.
“It’s a significant hit ... the entire group has been taken out,” added NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Jenkins.
