LIvestock vessels carrying more than Australian livestock....just $170m cocaine!

The ABC reports that police have charged the chief officer of the international livestock carrier, after half a tonne of cocaine was found floating off Western Australia's coast. Members of the public found the large package tied to a floating drum about 30 km offshore near Lancelin, north of Perth, on November 6: the 525-kilogram parcel of cocaine had a street value of more than $170 million.

According to the West Australian, police were already investigating suspicious activity by an international livestock carrier in the area when the public reported the  discovery. The drugs, were allegedly dumped in the ocean by the livestock carrier while enroute to Fremantle harbour. 

The West Australian states that just one day after the drugs were seized, police charged the 46 yo chief officer of the livestock carrier (a Croatian national), with attempting to import the drug. An AFP spokesperson said when investigators from the joint organised crime taskforce boarded the ship, they allegedly found a blue drum and ropes which were similar to those found with the cocaine. “It will also be alleged examination of the vessel identified that rails had been removed and reinstalled without welding work permits submitted and that a CCTV camera had been covered while the drugs were allegedly offloaded from the ship,” they said.

Definitely not the first time live ex vessels have been caught carrying cocaine (https://www.vale.org.au/blog/drug-trafficking-on-live-ex-ships) with 4.5 tonnes of cocaine seized in Spain in Jan 2023. But....what timing.... with news breaking just 2 days before the live ex conference starts in Perth on 26th Nov. Gold!

See: https://www.afp.gov.au/news-centre/media-release/four-charged-and-about-525kg-cocaine-found-wa-coast 
See: Monday evening article naming the vessel as the Al Kuwait

Fig 1: Police crawling over a livestock vessel in Fremantle - from Australian Border Force image released 24.11.25.
Fig 2: Forensics scrutiny of a livestock vessel with Fremantle feed storage sheds in the background - from Australian Border Force; image released 24.11.25

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