Four Men Charged After $170 Million Worth of Cocaine Found Floating Off Western Australia

A massive drug bust off the coast of Western Australia has led to four men being charged after authorities discovered over half a tonne of cocaine worth more than $170 million floating in the ocean. The discovery was made on November 6 when members of the public noticed packages tied to flotation devices approximately 30 kilometers off the coast, near Lancelin, about 125 kilometers north of Perth.

Some of the haul seized off the coast of WA. (Supplied)

The seized packages contained 525 kilograms of cocaine, allegedly dropped from an international livestock carrier en route to Fremantle Harbour. Authorities were able to recover the drugs after they were found drifting at sea.

A 46-year-old Croatian man, the chief officer of the vessel, was arrested the following day. During a search of the ship, police found items matching those associated with the cocaine, including a blue drum and ropes. Investigators also alleged that the ship’s CCTV system had been tampered with during the offloading of the drugs.

Further investigation revealed that three additional men, including two from Sydney, were involved in the drug operation. On November 3, emergency services rescued two men, aged 19 and 36, whose boat had begun to sink off the coast of Guilderton. These men were later linked to the cocaine recovery attempts, having launched boats from the Two Rocks Boat ramp to try and retrieve the drugs from the ocean. A 52-year-old man from Perth was also identified as being part of the operation.

The three men from Sydney have been extradited to Western Australia and face charges alongside the Croatian officer. If convicted, the 19-year-old and the Croatian man could face life imprisonment. Authorities are continuing their investigations into the origins of the cocaine, with the expectation that more arrests may follow.