A Melbourne dad’s grisly death and $20m of missing cocaine: An Adelaide shipping yard mystery

The Altona North man was scaling stacked containers with a grappling hook trying to retrieve 50kg of high-quality cocaine from South America when he slipped and fell at an Adelaide shipping yard. The drugs have never been found.

Troy Kellett plunged to his death trying to retrieve 50kg of high-quality cocaine. Picture: Keryn Stevens

A Melbourne father who fell to his death in an Adelaide shipping yard was trying to retrieve 50kg of high-quality cocaine worth $20m, it can be revealed.

Troy Kellett, from Altona North, was scaling stacked containers with a grappling hook and rope when he slipped and fell in July last year.

The Herald Sun understands South Australian serious and organised crime branch detectives and heavily armed officers from the state’s specialist STAR Group knew what Mr Kellett was doing and had him under surveillance at Outer Harbour.

Within seconds of the fall, police were on the scene but Mr Kellett could not be revived.

Police arrested locals Renalnto Bylo, 33, and Dasmir Kulafovski, 47, at the scene.

They were charged with unlawfully being on premises, possessing an unregistered firearm and possessing a firearm without a licence.

Troy Kellett died after falling several metres at an Adelaide shipping yard. Picture: Supplied

However, all charges have been dropped against Kulafovski and the charge of unlawfully being on premises has been dropped against Bylo. He still faces six firearm charges.

The allegedly high-purity cocaine came from South America to New Zealand before being unloaded in Adelaide. It has never been found.

Police made a report to the coroner but the case hasn’t been heard yet.

It is not known why Mr Kellett, a transport company boss, travelled the 750km to Adelaide himself but he is believed to have been a reluctant participant.

There are suspected links between the shipment and powerful Albanian organised crime figures.

Mr Kellett plunged to his death at a shipping yard in Outer Harbor. Picture: Keryn Stevens

Friends and employees have previously told the Herald Sun Mr Kellett was acting strangely in the months leading up to his death.

He also did not attend work for two days in the week he died, saying he was sick, despite never taking a day off previously.

Mr Kellett also didn’t attend the funeral of a very close friend, who he regularly drank with at Seagulls in Newport, that week.

In the days after his death, his Altona North business was broken into three times.

On the first occasion, offenders gained access to seven shipping containers filled with goods on the Chambers Rd workplace.

But nothing was stolen and only one door of each container was opened.

“If you’re looking for something smaller you open both doors and shine a light down each side. These people were looking for a container full of something,” a former employee said.

The next day thieves forced entry to the business office and stole several computers and hard drives.

Police believe Mr Kellett was searching for 50kg of high-purity cocaine when he slipped and fell. Picture: Keryn Stevens

And then it was discovered a bus at the premises, which Mr Kellett was transforming into a mobile home to travel around Australia in, had also been broken into and trashed.

Another ex-worker found 250g of marijuana in a secret compartment.

Workers called Mr Kellett’s dad, John, about the series of break-ins, who said he would attend the scene and call police but ordered drivers to go home.

But the Herald Sun has confirmed no police call or report was ever made.

The Altona North site had at least 12 CCTV cameras, which stored data for four days before footage was deleted, if it wasn’t backed up by any other memory device.

Mr Kellett used a grapling hook to scale a tower of shipping containers. Picture: Keryn Stevens

The Herald Sun has tried to contact John Kellett and is not suggesting he knew about the drug shipment.

Victoria Police said it had no involvement in the investigation apart from to inform family members of his death.

Mr Kellett received $7.94m in his bank account on the Friday before his death, which was for the sale of his business property and land.

He was due another $8m on the same day for the sale of trucks and other assets but told the buyer Norman Carriers he couldn’t sign the paperwork as he was “on the road”.

“He was a multi-millionaire on Friday and dead on Sunday,” his brother, Corey, told this newspaper.