Four men, including the chief officer of an international livestock carrier, have been charged over their alleged roles in an organised crime plot to import more than 525kg of cocaine into Australia, after packages of the drug were found floating in the ocean off Western Australia.
A Western Australia Joint Organised Crime Taskforce investigation into suspicious activity by an international vessel was already under way when members of the public alerted police on November 6 after finding large packages tied to flotation drums about 30km offshore.
Later that day, Western Australia and Federal police officers collected the bundles off the coast of Lancelin, about 125km north of Perth.
Forensic specialists are examining the seized drugs to determine the exact weight and purity, but it is estimated this shipment could have been distributed as more than 2.6 million individual street deals with a street value of more than A$170 million.
The investigators will allege the drugs were dropped into the ocean from an international livestock carrier on its way to Fremantle Harbour.
On November 7, police charged the vessel’s chief officer – a 46-year-old Croatian national – with attempting to import a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug.
During a search of the ship, investigators located a blue drum and ropes allegedly similar to those found with the drugs. It will also be alleged that rails had been removed and reinstalled without welding work permits submitted and that a CCTV camera had been covered while the drugs were allegedly offloaded from the ship.
A Perth man, 52, and two Sydney men, aged 19 and 36, have also been charged in connection with the thwarted import.
On November 3, emergency services were called about a vessel in distress off the coast of Guilderton. Two Sydney men, age 19 and 36, were found on a boat that was taking on water and were brought safely to shore without injury.
Police began investigating after details of their trip raised suspicions. Those inquiries led to the identification of a 52-year-old Perth man.
Police will allege all three men made attempts at various times to retrieve the cocaine from the ocean after launching boats from Two Rocks boat ramp.
The 46-year-old Croatian national was remanded in custody to next appear in Perth Magistrates Court on January 23, 2026. The maximum penalty for attempting to import a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug is life imprisonment.
Investigations remain ongoing into the organised crime syndicate behind the plot and the origin of the cocaine, with more arrests expected.
