Cops charge two men affter 247kgs of cocaine found in yacht

Officers have charged two men with importing a commercial quantity of cocaine after 247kgs of the drug was found hidden in a yacht.

It’s Ben Marshall’s biggest find yet – 247kg of cocaine concealed within the hull of a yacht up in Townsville.

Officer Marshall is a member of the Australian Federal Police’s Forensic Search and Imagery Team that was instrumental in the operation that led to two men being charged with importing the commercial quantity of cocaine in 2023.

The yacht arrived in Townsville after sailing from Vanuatu. But once out of the water, Australian Border Force and Australian Federal Police officers found minor anomalies with the vessel’s hull.

And Marshall, using a variety of mechanical tools with his team and ABF officials removed the cocaine hidden in enclosed sections.

AFP officers including Ben Marshal found a whopping 247kg of cocaine concealed in the hull of a yacht. The search and imagery team is one of dozens of options available to people thinking about joining the Australian Federal Police. Picture: AFP

The yacht stopped in Townsville in 2023. Picture: Australian Federal Police

Marshall says it’s the big jobs like this one, and the smaller finds that lead to big arrests are what keep him on his toes.

“It was my dream job, and I found the stories, audiobooks and crime shows around the application of Forensics to assist with investigations fascinating,” he told news.com.au.

“I was a kid who struggled to pay attention to anything for prolonged periods of time, but anytime I was reading, watching or listening to anything about crime and the application of forensics, I had no distractions and was totally invested.”

Officer Marshall is urging anyone interested in a career in the AFP to spare a few minutes to take the Career Finder quiz to see if there is a role in the 200 plus on offer to match their skills and interests.

The cocaine was found after police spotted anomalies in the yacht’s hill. . Picture: Australian Federal Police

AFP officer Ben Marshall, a member of the Foresnice Search and Imagery team, says there are hundreds of jobs on offer in the AFP that no one would expect. He’s urging anyone curious about what’s on offer to jump on line and take the quiz. Picture: AFP

AFP Recruitment Manager Jodie McEwan said the new quiz aims to suit people to more than 200 different roles across 40-plus job streams, from crypto investigators to librarian to chemical criminalist.

“The AFP’s mission is to protect Australians and Australia’s interests, but there are myriad ways to be part of that, across both sworn and unsworn roles,” Ms McEwan said.  

“If you dream of adventure, a role as a Protective Service Officer can take you to places as far flung as Pine Gap and Geraldton or as prestigious as Parliament House.

“If travel is in your blood, working in the Pacific with the ocean as your office backdrop could be a perfect alignment.

“We also have some of the world’s least boring desk jobs, linking together intelligence and analysis to help bring offenders to justice.”

To take the quiz, click here.

Originally published as Cops charge two men affter 247kgs of cocaine found in yacht