SYDNEY, April 20 (Xinhua) -- A 41-year-old Australian man has been charged by police over an alleged attempt to import 200 kg of cocaine into the country by sea.
A joint statement on Monday from federal law enforcement agencies and police in the east coast states of New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland said that the man was arrested on Thursday after officers located the cocaine on board an intercepted catamaran.
Police said that the vessel was intercepted by an organized crime task force investigating an alleged plan by a criminal syndicate with links to outlaw motorcycle gangs to sail cocaine into Australian waters before transferring it to local vessels to bring the cocaine to shore.
It will be alleged in court that the catamaran had sailed out of the Tweed River, located in northern NSW near the border with Queensland, on Tuesday to collect the drugs before returning on Thursday, when it was intercepted.
In addition to 200 kg of cocaine, police said that 100,000 Australian dollars (71,500 U.S. dollars) in cash was found on board.
The 41-year-old man from northern NSW was charged with one count of importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug and faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Investigations to determine the vessel and the crew responsible for transporting the cocaine into Australian waters are ongoing. ■
