Cocaine seized near Tonga
- 12 years ago
Tongan authorities have seized more than 200 kilogrammes of cocaine and found a decomposed body on a shipwrecked yacht that ran aground on the island of Lautatifo near Tonga.
The drugs were concealed in the hull of the 13 metre yacht JeReVe.
The Australia Federal Police (AFP) joined forces with the Tongan Police, Cook Islands Police and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration to search for the vessel.
The AFP reported that tidal conditions and the remote location of the yacht hampered the investigation. It took authorities several days over the past week to reach and examine the JeReVe.
The AFP have reported that organised crime syndicates were increasingly targeting Australia via the South Pacific.
The AFP said it received intelligence from the United States Drug Enforcement Agency in August that an organised crime syndicate had launched the vessel from Ecuador bound for Australia.
The drugs were concealed in the hull of the 13 metre yacht JeReVe.
The Australia Federal Police (AFP) joined forces with the Tongan Police, Cook Islands Police and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration to search for the vessel.
The AFP reported that tidal conditions and the remote location of the yacht hampered the investigation. It took authorities several days over the past week to reach and examine the JeReVe.
The AFP have reported that organised crime syndicates were increasingly targeting Australia via the South Pacific.
The AFP said it received intelligence from the United States Drug Enforcement Agency in August that an organised crime syndicate had launched the vessel from Ecuador bound for Australia.