SYDNEY: French authorities just seized this enormous consignment of cocaine worth headed for Australia on a small boat in the Pacific. It’s almost 1.5 tonnes, a record-breaking cocaine shipment bound for Australia worth over $300 million in street deals. It was found on a boat crewed by four people, believed to be Lithuanian and Latvian nationals.
The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) said the boat, believed to have departed South America, had been towed to the island of Noumea for investigations. ACIC executive director for intelligence Col Blanch congratulated French authorities for the seizure. “Congratulations to the Marine Française and Gendarmerie Nationale for their efforts in relation to this record seizure of cocaine,” he said. “We are thankful for the actions taken by French authorities which has stopped a significant amount of drugs reaching the streets of Australia.” ACIC said judicial proceedings will be determined by French authorities.
