Adelaide police stop a 139 kg cocaine cargo, two people are detained…

Australian Federal Police and Australian Border Force have jointly released this information.

Editor’s Note: A Hightail link can be used to access the arrest vision, pictures, and audio grabs.

Two Victorian males were taken into custody in Adelaide when 139 kg of cocaine that had been concealed inside a cargo of opulent buses was discovered.

Section 307.5(1) of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth) charges the men, who are 19 and 22 years old, with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of cocaine. They are scheduled to appear in Port Adelaide Magistrates court today, February 5, 2024.

Operation Silkwood, the investigation’s code name, was launched in January after information revealed a possible cocaine importation hidden inside a shipment of thirteen opulent buses on an international cargo ship sailing from Perth to Adelaide.

Border Force of Australia (ABF)

The men are said to have broken into the buses on February 3, 2024, and taken the shipment.

The men were then charged after being taken into custody in a Port Adelaide hotel. They were remanded in jail after being denied bail.

If found guilty, the maximum sentence they might receive is life in jail.

According to AFP Detective Superintendent Melinda Adam, the AFP and its allies put forth a lot of effort to combat criminal organizations that try to bring drugs into Australia.

“The AFP’s cooperation with both domestic and foreign partners is essential in the fight against transnational serious organized crime. In short, D/Supt Adam stated, “The AFP can maximize its impact by collaborating closely with our law enforcement colleagues.”

“The AFP and its allies will keep making Australia a hostile environment in order to defend the Australian community.”

“This seizure of the 139kg of cocaine has stopped a potential 695,000 individual street deals from hitting our streets and causing significant harm to our communities and economy, with an estimated street value of $45 million,” D/Supt Adam said.

The AFP is additionally calling on the public to come forward with any information they may have about any unusual activity in or around the Port Adelaide or Mansfield Park areas on Friday, 2 February, 2024 to Saturday, 3 February, 2024.

“We urge anyone who noticed any activity or movement that appeared to be out of the ordinary in the Port Adelaide or Mansfield Park areas on Friday, 2 February or over the past few days, to please come forward and contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

“All information to Crime Stoppers can be reported anonymously,” D/Supt Adam said.

ABF Superintendent Andrew Dawson said these arrests demonstrate how effectively the ABF and AFP’s close collaboration protects our Australian communities.

“As Australia faces a global surge in trafficking, cocaine shipments are being seized at the nation’s borders at unprecedented levels,” Superintendent Dawson stated.

“Growth and profit are the only things driving organized crime syndicates’ unrelenting efforts to pour cocaine onto our beaches.

In the fight against criminal efforts to harm our communities, Australia’s border is a vital national asset that the ABF will continue to closely guard in tandem with our law enforcement partners.