$23 million drugs seized, man charged - Polaris Joint Waterfront Taskforce
This is a joint media release between the Australian Federal Police, NSW Police, the Australian Crime Commission and the Australian Border Force.
Drugs with an estimated potential street value of more than $23 million have been seized from a cargo ship that docked at Port Botany yesterday as part of a routine inspection conducted by Australian Border Force officers and investigators from the Polaris Joint Waterfront Taskforce (JWTF).
Polaris (JWTF) comprises officers from NSW Police, Australian Federal Police (AFP), Australian Border Force (ABF), and the Australian Crime Commission (ACC).
Officers from Australian Border Force stopped two crew men as they left the ship about 6pm (Thursday 14 January 2016).
ABF Officers searched a backpack carried by one of the men, and allegedly found a large quantity of methylamphetamine (ICE) and cocaine.
Police attached to the Polaris JWTF attended the dock and arrested the men – both Tanzanian nationals – and they were taken to Botany Bay Police Station.
Police allege the man was carrying 6kg of ICE and 1kg of cocaine.
The ship was searched and further drugs were located bringing the total amount of drugs seized to approximately 22kg of ICE and approximately one kg of cocaine. The ICE has an estimated potential street value of $22 million, while the cocaine seized is estimated to be worth more than $1 million.
A 35-year-old man has been charged with import a commercial quantity of border-controlled drug, and import a marketable quantity of a border-controlled drug.
He has been refused bail and is due to appear at Waverley Local Court today (Friday 15 January 2016).
A 50-year-old man was released pending further investigation.
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