Ship's chief officer, three others charged after 525 kg of cocaine found off Western Australia coast

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, JOCTF investigators located a blue drum and ropes allegedly similar to those found with the drugs. It will also be alleged examination of the vessel identified 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.