Ten men have been charged and approximately 186 kilograms of cocaine seized from a vessel which was escorted into the port of Hobart last week.
The 50-metre commercial vessel was intercepted by ADF/Australian Defence Force personnel from the HMAS Adelaide, under the direction of the Australian Border Force’s Maritime Border Command.
ADF personnel boarded the vessel in the Southern Ocean off Tasmania, where they found large amounts of cocaine.
The vessel and its crew were detained and escorted to the port of Hobart, where they arrived on the 16th December.
Due to the size of the vessel, the examination by the Tasmania Police and federal authorities took a number of days.
The approximately 186 kilograms of cocaine had been compressed into bricks and wrapped in plastic.
The investigation into the origin and destination of the drugs is continuing, however the authorities believe that such huge amount of the drug wouldn't target just the small Tasmanian market.
The men, aged between 23 and 50 years, were each charged with attempting to import a commercial quantity of cocaine and face a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
The men have appeared in Hobart Magistrates Court, where they were all refused bail and are scheduled to reappear on Friday, 13 January 2017.
The vessel will remain in Hobart while Tasmania Police work with other agencies to undertake environmental and biosecurity procedures including the removal of fuel and food. This is expected to take some time.
