Five men across two continents have been arrested after attempting to import 36kg of cocaine with a value of $11.7 million into Australia.
Two men were arrested by Australian Federal Police in Western Sydney after having received mining equipment from Chile that allegedly contained the drugs.
Investigators had heard drilling and grinding noises from the property in Western Sydney, which is believed to be a 26-year-old man trying to access the drugs.
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The shipment had initially been identified by police in Chile, who had initially deconstructed two pieces of mining equipment.
Chilean authorities removed the cocaine before reconstructing the equipment and allowung it to be sent to Australia alongside Chilean investigators.
When the shipment was picked up in Australia, Australian Federal Police arrested two men, the 26-year-old and a 37-year-old man.
Angle grinders, cutting discs, safety equipment and sledgehammers were also found, which police will allege were to be used by the men to cut into the mining equipment.
Following these arrests, the AFP gave information to Chilean authorities, which allowed the arrest of three men in Chile for their rols in the criminal enterprise and drug importation plot.
Chilean police also seized mobile phones and mining equipment, and all three men were charged with illicit association and drug trafficking offences.
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The two men arrested in Western Sydney were subsequently charged with attempting to import a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug, and attempting to possess a commercial quantity of cocaine.
The maximum penalty for each offence is life imprisonment.
They both appeared before Penrith Local Court on October 15, where they were refused bail. The pair will reappear before the same court on December 19.
AFP Commander Kate Ferry said these arrests speak to the deliberate and active actions the AFP is taking to disrupt criminal threats before they reach our borders.
"Organised crime groups routinely seek to exploit vulnerabilities at gateways around the world, and the AFP, alongside partners such as the Investigative Police of Chile, are committed to disrupting these groups and bringing them before the courts," Commander Ferry said.
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