The Australian police in collaboration with the US police have foiled an operation to smuggle 2.4 tons of cocaine into the country from Mexico, a drug that could have reached a value of 1 billion Australian dollars, about 635 million euros.
The undercover operation, known as Operation Beech, was carried out in collaboration with US authorities and led to the arrest of twelve suspects, according to Australian television ABC.
The Commissioner of the Western Australian Police, Col Blanch, explained that the operation lasted six weeks during which significant surveillance resources were deployed.
It was an opportunity to apprehend this mafia group capable of receiving and bringing in drugs and then distributing them throughout Australia», explained the police spokesman.
US authorities intercepted the drugs in November in waters near South America, but it appeared that the Australian traffickers were unaware and were expecting the shipment around December 28. Details of the operation have not been made public until now.
Australian police dropped bales of the same fake cocaine as expected about 40 miles west of Perth. The traffickers searched for the drugs for several days using two boats and finally located them.
On December 30, special operations officers arrested three men aboard a boat with 1.2 tons of fake cocaine off the coast about 70 miles from Perth. The other nine suspects were arrested at various locations in Perth, including several hotels, and more than A$2 million was seized from a car.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
