Officers in major police covert drugs operation ‘saw Victorian father Troy Kellett plunge to death at Adelaide ship depot’

An Adelaide depot was under surveillance when a Victorian father plunged to his death from a shipping container after intelligence claimed drugs were stored at the shipyard.

Troy Kellett died in the early hours of a Sunday morning and sources claimed a covert police operation saw it unfold. Pictures: Brenton Edwards/ supplied

An Adelaide cargo depot was under police surveillance when a Victorian father plunged to his death from a shipping container after intelligence claimed drugs were stored at the shipyard.

Sources say Serious and Organised Crime Branch detectives, along with heavily armed officers from SA Police’s specialist STAR group response unit, watched Troy Kellett, 43, plunge 12m in the early hours of Sunday, July 9.

It is understood Mr Kellett, who ran transport company Kellett Australia and had driven 750km from his home in Melbourne’s west, was scaling containers stacked six-high – with the aid of a grappling hook and rope – when he mysteriously fell.

The Advertiser has been told police were using night vision during the covert operation and the incident may have been recorded.

As new details about Mr Kellet’s final days emerge, authorities are investigating if the transport company boss, a father of four, was searching for a container of drugs amid speculation of a cocaine shipment.

Senior police have repeatedly declined to discuss the operation but a spokesman has stated officers were “first on scene and rendered first aid”.

SA Police were contacted for comment and sent a detailed series of questions late on Tuesday.

Ambulance records show the first Triple-Zero call was made at 12.34am that was coded as the highest “priority 1”.

Another three top level paramedic teams were dispatched within five minutes amid reports of a possible “cardiac or respiratory arrest/ death” and “traumatic” incident.

A further three calls at 12.39am asked for specialised MedStar emergency medical retrieval teams to be sent to the Coghlan Rd, Outer Harbor shipyard.

Almost six minutes later Metropolitan Fire Crews were then called to assist SA Ambulance crews and SA Police “with CPR”.

There were 10 emergency logs in total.

Troy Kellett died after falling several metres from a shipping container at Outer Harbor.

Police have said Mr Kellet died at the scene despite desperate efforts to save him.

Having scrambled so fast, officers arrested two men with Mr Kellett – Dasmir Kulafovski, 47, of Adelaide, and his alleged accomplice Renalnto Bylo, 32, of Mawson Lakes.

The pair, later charged with trespass and firearm offences, are due in court next week.

Bylo is also charged with six firearms charges. Neither have entered any pleas.

There is no suggestion either man caused Mr Kellett’s death.

Authorities suspect the trio were working together amid claims the charged men were granted police bail in hope of leading detectives to a potential drug stash.

But after failing to return to the Outer Harbor dock site, police now fear the container has been shifted.

General pictures of shipping container terminals along Coghlan Rd in Outer Harbor. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Brenton Edwards

Court documents show the pair are accused of entering the Outer Harbor premises “for an unlawful purpose” before giving a false address to police.

Friends have revealed Mr Kellett did not attend the funeral of a very close friend, missed a meeting to sign documents that would have sold his business assets for $8m and phoned in sick in the days before his mystery death.

He also drove to Adelaide in a ute, not a work truck, did not take his maritime security pass and is believed to have been in South Australia at least two days before his death.

Detectives are now scrutinising his mobile phone to see who he was communicating with and where it was used between Thursday afternoon and his death.

Friends described his behaviour in the previous six months as “bizarre” and “strange” that sparked an informal work meeting to address mounting concerns for his welfare.

“He was in and out of the office for the first part of the week, which was normal for Troy, but on Thursday he didn’t show up,” a colleague said.

“I remember it so clearly because the day before he said he wanted to talk to me, but would see me in the office the next day.

“When he didn’t show up I assumed he had been at his friend’s funeral.”

Visiting the house at 3pm, they said he “took ages” answering the door before revealing he did not attend his best drinking friend’s funeral as he wasn’t feeling well.

The colleague added: “They were very, very close. Troy said he was ‘f**ked up’ and had cramps. Then he said he wouldn’t be at work the next day.

“This was extremely unusual. It was weird.”

On Friday, $7.94m hit his bank account for the sale of land where his container transport business was in Chambers Rd, Altona North.

His brother Corey said: “He was a multimillionaire on Friday and dead on Sunday.”

But Troy was to receive an even bigger pay packet that day.

Gareth Hearnden, managing director of Norman Carriers, had a deal to buy Mr Kellett’s trucks and other assets for $8m.

General pictures of shipping container terminals along Coghlan Rd in Outer Harbor. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Brenton Edwards

Mr Hearnden received the paperwork and called Troy to come in and sign so the money would be in his bank account by day’s end.

But he told Mr Hearnden he was “already on the road on a job” and signing would have to wait until Monday.

“Whatever he was doing had to be pretty significant to turn down almost $16 million being in your bank account,” a friend said.

“What was so important, so urgent, that you couldn’t send someone else to do the job? That’s what we are all asking.”

Photos of the pair were also taken by their respective trucks, in anticipation of the documents being signed on Friday and an announcement of the deal at 3pm on Monday.

A celebratory BBQ was also planned.

Instead, the business deal is under a cloud with insurance issues and probate while employees are jobless.

Mr Kellett, who had all the equipment to transport a shipping container, drove to Adelaide in his Toyota HiLux and did not take his work pass to gain lawful entry to the docks.

Sources said the trio were found in possession of a grappling hook tied to a rope, which they believed Mr Kellett was using to scale the containers when he fell.

Mr Kellett’s funeral was held two weeks ago in a small, private ceremony, for family only.

Originally published as Officers in major police covert drugs operation ‘saw Victorian father Troy Kellett plunge to death at Adelaide ship depot’