Please attribute to Detective Inspector Colin Parmenter, Waitemata Police:
Packages of cocaine washed up on Bethells Beach in recent days are likely to have been some of hundreds of kilograms of the drug destined for Australia last year.
Police were called to the beach on Wednesday evening, where they located 20 packages of cocaine, with an approximate street value of more than $3 million.
In August 2018, a rigid inflatable boat was seen by surveillance assets assigned to Maritime Border Command, a multi-agency taskforce within the Australian Border Force (ABF), off the northern New South Wales coast heading towards the mainland, Members of the Queensland Joint Organised Crime Taskforce (QJOCTF) were sent to intercept the boat.
The two occupants of the inflatable were seen jettisoning the cocaine into the sea, and they were arrested by the QJOCTF.
Of the cocaine that was offloaded, the majority has been recovered. Some was located along parts of the eastern coastline of Australia, from northern Queensland down to New South Wales.
The product found on Bethells Beach appears to have been part of this same shipment and has drifted here over the last year, as the markings and packaging of the drugs is consistent with that seized in Australia.
The Police Eagle helicopter concluded a wider search of the area yesterday, and found nothing of interest. Police will have regular patrols to check for any further washed-up items.
There remains a small possibility of further packages turning up, and we would reiterate the importance of contacting Police if you discover any suspicious or concerning items.
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre