Gladstone coke haul: Lake Macquarie men Stephen Webb, 45, Mark Fitzgerald, 66, Nathan Fisher, 26 charged with possessing 500kg of cocaine
Three Lake Macquarie men have been dramatically arrested more than 1300km from home and at the end of what authorities allege was a dead-of-the-night mission to bring half a tonne of cocaine into a remote Queensland boat ramp.
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Three Lake Macquarie men have been dramatically arrested more than 1300km from home and at the end of what authorities allege was a midnight run to bring half a tonne of cocaine into a remote Queensland port from a cargo ship still at sea.
Authorities swooped on the trio just after 1am on Sunday as they putted their 8.2m boat back into a nondescript boat ramp at Boyne Island, a sleepy community of less than 5000 people and about 20km south of Gladstone.
The Australian Federal Police allege that the $162m cargo included 15 black and yellow waterproof bags that each contained about 32 blocks of a powdered substance. Each block weighed about 1kg.
It is understood detectives were still investigating links between Charlestown man Stephen Webb, 45, Mark Fitzgerald, 66, of Morisset Park, and 26-year-old Nathan Fisher from Brightwaters.
They were also investigating the alleged roles the three Lake Macquarie men played in the operation which has seen them all charged with possessing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug.
The faced Gladstone Magistrate’s Court on Monday and were refused bail to reappear again in July.
Federal Police also raided a motel in Tannum Sands, near Boyne Island, and the residential premises of the men in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie.
On Monday, a further search warrant was executed on a vessel anchored in the Port of Gladstone. Investigations are ongoing.
Following the arrest, AFP Commander John Tanti said alleged criminals who attempted to collect drugs from larger ships and import them into Australia were risking their lives often in dangerous conditions.
“We estimate 500kg of cocaine has an estimated street value of more than $162 million and has the potential to facilitate more than two million individual street deals and cause tens of millions of dollars in harm to the Australian community,” Commander Tanti said.
“Investigations into the origin of the drugs remain ongoing, and we will work with our international and domestic law enforcement partners to identify the criminal syndicates and anyone else involved in facilitating this alleged attempted drug import.
“We want to assure the Australian community we are working tirelessly to keep these dangerous drugs off the streets.”
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