Three men who sank a drug-filled pleasure boat in the waters off Western Australia in 2023 have been sentenced to a combined 29 years and six months' imprisonment for their roles in a botched plot to import more than 300 kg of cocaine into the state, the Australian Border Force said in a press release.
The three men, aged 38, 47 and 51, each pleaded guilty to one count of importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, contrary to section 307.1 of the Criminal Code.
The 38-year-old was sentenced to nine years and three months' imprisonment with a non-parole period of six years.
The 47-year-old was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment with a non-parole period of five years.
The 51-year-old was sentenced to 12 years and three months' imprisonment with a non-parole period of eight years.
The three men were each sentenced in the Perth District Court on Wednesday, October 22.
The investigation began in early February, 2023, when Western Australia Police Force (WAPF) officers helped rescue the men from the ocean off Albany, in WA's Great Southern region.
Police became suspicious about the trio's claim that their vessel had capsized during a fishing trip, with officers then alerting the Australian Federal Police (AFP), and Operation Ayr commenced.
Almost a week later, a plastic-wrapped package containing multiple smaller packages of cocaine washed ashore near Denmark, about 55 kilometres west of Albany, before a seven-metre pleasure boat named Aces and Eights was found overturned off Peaceful Bay, about 45 kilometres west of Denmark, on February 8, 2023 (pictured).
That night, AFP officers executed a search warrant on the cruiser and seized 273 packages containing about 274 kg of a white substance.
Forensic testing confirmed the total pure weight of the cocaine found inside the vessel to be 229.17 kg.
Police believe the drugs had been collected from the ocean before the vessel capsized in rough waters on their way back to shore.
Following confirmation the substance contained in the packages was cocaine, warrants were issued for the men's arrest.
All three suspects were arrested between February 15 and March 22, 2023, following manhunt operations that covered the Northern Territory and WA.
