Record cocaine amounts busted by Australian Federal Police in 2017

A FEDERAL police officer says law enforcement and border protection agencies have seized record amounts of cocaine this year as news of a dramatic cruise ship bust was revealed.

A FEDERAL police officer says law enforcement and border protection agencies have seized record amounts of cocaine this year as news of a dramatic cruise ship bust was revealed.

Thirty kilos of cocaine stashed aboard an international cruise ship was sniffed out by Australian Border Force drug dogs at a dock in Sydney, leading to four foreigners being arrested and charged with importation.

A 41-year-old Belgian woman and three French nationals — a 61-year-old man, a 54-year-old man and a 32-year-old woman — were identified after an extensive investigation and arrested when the luxury cruise docked in Sydney on November 20.

The four were under intense scrutiny during a joint operation between the Australian Border Force and their United Kingdom counterparts, who worked with foreign partners to ensure that officers identified the correct passengers.

Australian Border Force (ABF) officers escort a handcuffed woman after drug detector dogs sniffed out a stash of cocaine hidden aboard an international cruise ship that docked in Sydney last month. Picture: ABF

A woman in a floral skirt and pink sweater, a heavy-set man in a long, light-blue shirt and shorts and a woman in a black singlet and blue jeans were filmed being escorted off the ship in handcuffs and placed inside waiting police vehicles.

The alleged smuggling travellers were charged with importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug and appeared before Sydney Central Local Court on Friday December 1.

They were refused bail and will reappear early in 2018.

Four foreigners faced court and were refused bail over the cocaine haul. Picture: ABF

The cruise ended here for a suspect in the 30kg cocaine bust aboard an international cruise ship that docked in Sydney last month. Picture: ABF

AFP Commander Justine Gough, Manager Crime Operations, said law enforcement and border protection agencies have seized record amounts of cocaine already this year and that it is focused on reducing the harm caused by the drug by detecting and preventing the importation of it.

“We’ve seen the damage cocaine causes when it reaches Australian communities. The health effects on drug users, the increases in domestic violence, the increases in property crime and the increases in assaults,” Commander Gough said.

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ABF acting Assistant Commissioner Jo Crooks said that thanks to the “collaborative efforts” of Australian and international agencies, the four individuals were identified well before they reached Australian shores.

“This detection is a testament to the dedication and professionalism of a vast network of law enforcement officers around the world focused on disrupting the supply of drugs destined for the Australian community”.

Originally published as Record cocaine amounts busted by Australian Federal Police in 2017