Because of the number of times the authorities found hundreds of kilograms floating in its waters, Australia is considered worldwide as the capital of the cocaine trade.

Bunbury – just few miles off Bunbury Harbour, on the Australian West Coast, the Australian Border Force (ABF) saw a suspect fishing vessel, and started monitoring the area. During the surveillance the ABF found a safety boat to which were bound 300 kg of cocaine.

The heavy load, wrapped in resistant plastic film, is believed to have been thrown overboard as the dry bulk ship reached the surrounding waters in early April, 2023

The mentioned authorities believe the ship had departed from the Port of Santos, Brazil, and dropped anchor in Huangpu New Port, China, before steering its course towards the Australian Western coast.

In Perth, the prosecutor has opened an international investigation aimed at identifying who loaded and offloaded the dry bulk ship. 

Currently the Australian Government is grappling with a global surge in trafficking as a result of the seizure of large quantities of drugs at Australia’s borders in recent months. 

 Ministerial sources inform us that About 3.69 tons of drugs with a potential value of $1.4 billion were detected by law enforcement in just six months through December, far more than in any 12-month period over the past decade.

  As stated by Australian Border Force the spike in seizures reflect global trends, where increased production in Latin American countries was seeing unusually large waves of cocaine smuggling into Europe and North America.

“This operation was a testament to the skill, professionalism and dedication of the ABF officers involved.”