120 kilos of cocaine wash up on Australian beaches

By AFP
December 28, 2023

SYDNEY: Australian police said on Wednesday they were scouring beaches after mysterious packages believed to contain more than 120 kilograms of cocaine washed up over the Christmas period.

A first batch of 39 barnacle-encrusted, one-kilogram bricks of suspected cocaine was discovered on Friday near Magenta Beach, north of Sydney, police said.

A policeman points cocaine bags seized to local dealers during a visit of French Interior Minister in Marseille, southern France, on February 25, 2021. — AFP
A policeman points cocaine bags seized to local dealers during a visit of French Interior Minister in Marseille, southern France, on February 25, 2021. — AFP

Since then, another 85 packages of the same size had been spotted along about 80 kilometres (50 miles) of the New South Wales coastline, state police said.

Police urged people to report any suspicious packages, Detective Chief Superintendent Jason Weinstein said in a statement.

“Detectives and specialist police are currently combing beaches and coastlines for any outstanding packages and working behind the scenes to make sure we find and hold accountable those responsible,” said Weinstein, who is director of the state´s crime command.