A man was charged with allegedly importing 200 kg of cocaine last week, after police found the drugs on the catamaran he was sailing near the Queensland-New South Wales border off Australia.
The Tweed Heads man, 41, faced the NSW Bail Division Court on Friday, April 17, and was charged with one count of importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug, contrary to section 307.1 of the Criminal Code (Cth), which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
The man was formally refused bail and remanded to next appear in the same court on June 12, 2026.
Police were investigating an alleged transnational plot by a syndicate with links to outlaw motorcycle gangs to sail cocaine into Australian waters before being transferred to local vessels to bring the drugs to shore.
The Gold Coast Joint Organised Crime Taskforce (GC JOCTF), comprising officers from the Australian Federal Police (AFP), the Queensland Police Service, the Australian Border Force and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, as well as the NSW Police Force, intercepted a catamaran sailing into the Tweed River, just south of the Queensland border, on Thursday, April 16.
The catamaran had sailed from the Tweed River on Tuesday, April 14, travelling north before turning its transponder off.
The catamaran allegedly collected the drugs at sea, before sailing back towards the coast and turning its transponder back on before returning to the Tweed River.
NSWPF Marine Area Command operatives from Tweed Heads intercepted the vessel in the river and towed it to a secure location, where it was searched and examined by specialist forensic officers.
Police have alleged that about 200 kg of cocaine was hidden inside black duffel bags on board the catamaran, along with AU$100,000 (US$71,000) in cash.
GC JOCTF and NSWPF investigators then executed multiple search warrants across southeast Queensland and northern NSW.
Investigations are ongoing to determine the vessel and crew responsible for transporting the drugs into Australian waters and to identify other syndicate members. Further arrests have not been ruled out.
Anyone with information which may assist GC JOCTF investigators with their ongoing inquiries is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Information about suspicious activity which may impact the security of Australia's borders should contact Border Watch.