Two men charged in Perth after 200kg of cocaine allegedly located in Northbridge hotel

Police are probing whether a rural airstrip is connected with the alleged seizure of 200 bricks of cocaine, night vision goggles and an airband radio inside a CBD hotel.

Police are investigating whether a remote gravel airstrip was used in an elaborate plot to allegedly smuggle about 200kg of cocaine into the country.

Two men were charged with drug trafficking by the Australian Federal Police on Saturday after a hotel room raid allegedly uncovered 1kg bricks of cocaine inside six suitcases.

The two men, a 48-year-old Victorian and a South African, 44, were allegedly under surveillance entering and leaving Western Australia several times in an investigation spanning three months.

The Victorian man allegedly returned to Perth on Boxing Day and was seen transporting multiple suitcases and jerry cans in a hired ute.

Overlander Airstrip is a gravel runway located inland of Shark Bay. Picture: Supplied/ Google Maps

According to the AFP, the South African national allegedly travelled about 800km north to meet a small aircraft at the Overlander Airstrip, a gravel runway in the Gascoyne region near Shark Bay, on December 27.

The following day the pair then allegedly met again in Perth, where police claim they were spotted dumping suitcases and jerry cans at a shopping centre before purchasing new suitcases.

They were arrested in a car in the city’s CBD on Saturday, the AFP says.

Inside the Victorian man’s hotel room, investigators allegedly seized about 200kg of cocaine, night vision goggles, electronic devices and an airband VHF radio.

A Victorian man, 48, (pictured) is one of two men arrested at the weekend. Picture: Supplied/ Australian Federal Police

His co-accused’s hotel room allegedly contained four empty suitcases, aviation navigational equipment, a hardware cryptocurrency wallet, and other electronic devices.

According to AFP Inspector Chris Colley, police will allege the men were likely working with an organised crime syndicate, saying investigations into the small aircraft are ongoing.

“The AFP has prevented these individuals – and an alleged organised crime syndicate that is likely responsible for this endeavour – from profiting from the distribution of this dangerous drug into and across WA,” he said.

“Illicit drug use in Australia bankrolls dangerous and brutal criminals who undermine our national security and our economy, and make our suburbs and roads less safe.”

Both men were charged with one count of trafficking a commercial quantity of a controlled drug and were expected to appear in a Perth court on Sunday.