The Australian Federal Police (AFP) allege the men were part of an international crime syndicate that twice tried to bring in cocaine hidden in tyres chained to the outside of cargo vessels.UNODC yesterday released an Issue Paper entitled “ Smuggling of Migrants by Sea.” The paper, drafted by Ms Marika McAdam under the supervision of Ms Morgane Nicot (UNODC), is based largely on “answers received to questionnaires and discussions that took place in the context of an expert group meeting held in Vienna, Austria on the 13th to the 15th of September 2011.”Įxcerpts from UNODC statement: “While the smuggling of migrants by sea accounts for only a small proportion of the total number of migrants smuggled worldwide, it accounts for the highest number of deaths among smuggled migrants.
Last week, two Sydney men appeared in court charged with conspiring to smuggle cocaine into Port Botany. Police said the alleged plot in Newcastle was by no means the first attempt to import drugs into Australia using this method. In response, Border Force officials are now using scuba divers and remote-operated underwater vessels to check ships coming into Australian ports. Authorities scale up their search tactics He said there were a number of places on the hull of a ship where drugs could be concealed. "The crew potentially have no idea there are narcotics placed on the hull of the vessel." "Underwater concealments of this nature are seen worldwide," Australian Border Force Superintendent Tony Wheatley said. Police first became aware that gangs were circumventing border checks by attaching drugs to the outside of ships during Operation Ironside - an international sting which intercepted encrypted messages from criminal gangs. "Any port has a lot of movements - so a lot of ships, a lot of trucks, a lot of people - so it is easier to hide drugs among that." Organised crime definitely look for weaknesses to target at those ports.
"We are certainly concerned about the ports of Newcastle and Wollongong. "Sydney is a huge market, I think we're all aware of that," Superintendent Critchlow said. Police have identified the scuba diver who died at the scene and believe he may have travelled from South America.ĭetectives have known for some time that ports within easy reach of Sydney are being targeted by international drug traffickers. We're looking at moving people and commodities across the world." "It is a high-end, sophisticated operation. "The high retail price of cocaine in Australia is a huge draw for international drug traffickers and they are targeting our community," Organised Crime Squad Commander, Detective Superintendent Rob Critchlow, said. ( ABC News.)ĭetectives say the price paid for cocaine in Sydney is the highest anywhere in the world, making it a magnet for international drug traffickers. Police divers prepare to search the underside of the cargo ship, Areti.GR, which docked in Newcastle after a voyage from Argentina.
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