Australian law enforcement agencies seized 1.4 tonnes of cocaine worth A$312 million ($239.5 million) from an Australia-bound yacht as they successfully executed a covert midnight operation last week, the authorities confirm on Monday. This is the largest amount of cocaine seized in a single operation and is over 880 pounds breaking the previous record of 206 pounds in 2001.
Six men which included five from Australian nationality have been charged with the conspiracy to import drugs and are on the verge of facing lifetime imprisonment, Justice Minister Michael Keenan and Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said in a joint statement.
“The interception was the result of a dogged, two and a half year, the multi-agency pursuit involving the Australian Federal Police, Australian Border Force and New Zealand Customs Service,” the ministers said in the statement.
The cocaine could have resulted in 1.4 million street deals, they added, without providing details of the latest seizure.
