Two Queensland men extradited to WA over 560kg Kalbarri cocaine bust

Two Queensland men have been arrested, charged and flown west by Federal agents to face allegations they were part of the plot to smuggle more than half a tonne of cocaine into Australia via WA. It is alleged that the pair were part of the plot that led to the discovery of 560kg of cocaine at an address in Kalbarri earlier in 2023. The men, aged 45 and 53, were arrested in Mackay by officers from the AFP and Queensland Police Service on November 29 and 30 respectively. The 45-year-old is accused of travelling to WA on July 31 to collect the cocaine from the ocean off Denham after the drugs were allegedly dropped overboard from a bulk cargo carrier. Police will allege the man bought with cash a 7m recreational fishing vessel and took it out to sea on August 7 — but the planned drug collection failed when he struck trouble and needed to be rescued. The 53-year-old also travelled to WA for the alleged collection and was waiting at a boat ramp for the drugs to be brought back to shore. Police will allege that he would have been responsible for driving the drugs from WA to Queensland. Four days later, AFP and WAPF officers executed a search warrant at a Kalbarri property, about 570km north-west of Perth, and found about 560kg of cocaine wrapped in plastic. Three men from Queensland were arrested at the property. It will be alleged that they also bought a boat and used it to collect the cocaine from the ocean. The men — aged 29, 32 and 49 — remain before the courts. Further inquiries into the transnational criminal syndicate responsible for the drug trafficking venture and a review of evidence collected during the investigation resulted in the AFP arresting the two men in Mackay last week. It is alleged that they were originally supposed to retrieve the drugs from the sea. They have been charged with attempting to import a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug and face a maximum penalty of life imprisonment if convicted. The Queensland men aged 45 and 53 faced court in Mackay last week and were extradited to WA on charges of attempting to import a commercial quantity of cocaine. They are expected to appear before court again on January 12. AFP Insp. Chris Colley said the AFP and partners were committed to identifying anyone involved in the operations and supply chains of transnational crime syndicates. “Every person involved plays a vital role in helping these syndicates to profit from exploiting the Australian community,” Insp. Colley said. “Had 560kg of cocaine made it to the streets, it could have been sold as about 560,000 individual street deals. “hat would have resulted in an estimated $224 million spent on purchasing cocaine rather than at legitimate local businesses. “In 2023, the AFP in WA, along with partners Australian Border Force, Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, Department of Home Affairs and Western Australian Police Force have stopped transnational serious and organised crime groups from importing more than 2.3 tonnes of drugs in Australia. “Drug syndicates continue to target Australia due to its high demand creating a profitable market. “The extensive coastline in WA presents challenges for Police. However, working with our law enforcement partners and everyone in our community, we will continue make WA a difficult place for criminals to operate.”