Tag Archives: 610 kilograms of cocaine

Fishing trawlers, a no-show submarine and mutiny: the full story of a historic drug haul

This failed drug importation was the third of five smuggling attempts by the ambitious NSW-based syndicate over two years. Only on the fifth attempt did they succeed in bringing drugs to Australia. But the victory was short-lived, as a massive police operation culminated with mass arrests and a 500-kilogram cocaine haul seized when it was brought into the Hawkesbury River on Christmas Day 2016. The end result was 18 related convictions, with combined prison sentences of 250 years. After the final sentence was handed down last week, the full story, starting with the beginnings of the syndicate back in mid-2014, can be told at last.  The dramatic saga involved mutiny at sea, a mysterious “submarine”, the French Navy and a cast of colourful characters. >click to read< 21:32