Australian Police have charged six crew members of the high-profile MV Raider vessel with drug smuggling, saying they attempted to bring one tonne of cocaine into Australia after being intercepted by French Polynesian authorities earlier this year.
The MV Raider was boarded in January by French Polynesian police, who dumped almost 5 tonnes of cocaine found on board into the sea before releasing the crew.
The vessel was escorted into Sydney in March after the crew said they were struggling with mechanical issues and running low on critical supplies.
Almost a week later the crew members were taken into immigration detention, but lawyers said they were unlikely to face any criminal charges over the cocaine seized near French Polynesia because the events occurred well outside Australia’s territorial waters.
But in an extraordinary development, the AFP has revealed that French Polynesian authorities failed to find a further tonne of cocaine, which they allege remained hidden in one of the “professionally built and installed smuggling hides” on the vessel.
It’s not clear exactly what happened to the drugs, but the joint statement said police suspected “an Australian-based crew operating on behalf of a larger criminal syndicate was looking to rendezvous with the MV Raider to conduct an at-sea transfer within Australia’s Economic Exclusion Zone.”
The drugs were not onboard the vessel when it was inspected by the AFP.
Six of the 11 crew have now been charged with trying to smuggle a commercial quantity of illegal drugs into Australia, and will face a Sydney bail court later today.
In a joint statement the AFP, NSW Police and Border Force said that when they searched the crew’s electronic devices they found “evidence consistent with the allegation the MV Raider had further drugs on board”.
Ship was found to be carrying nearly 5 tonnes of cocaine near French Polynesia earlier this year.
Photos released by the police also appear to show they found another secret compartment in the vessel hidden under a fixed wardrobe in the ship.
The AFP also said it had seized a “satellite phone which was allegedly used by senior members of the MV Raider’s crew to communicate with the syndicate’s bosses based offshore.”
Five of the men charged are Honduran, while the sixth is Ecuadorian. They range from 26 to 63 years of age.
Police also revealed that Australian authorities met the MV Raider 180 nautical miles off the NSW coast in late February — well before they issued the distress call — and told the crew they wouldn’t be allowed into an Australian port.
Australian Border Force Commander Rose Cracknell said the search of the digital devices “allegedly uncovered further criminality, which will be tested and put before the courts.”
“We know that criminal groups will try to use Australia’s vast coastline to attempt to breach our borders, but criminals should always assume we are watching and ready to take action,” she said.
Jose Sousa-Santos, the head of the Pacific Regional Security Hub at the University of Canterbury, said it was not surprising that Australia believed extra drugs were on board, as a vessel “of this size being used by the cartels would certainly carry more product than what was seized by French authorities.”
“It sends a strong message that Australian ports are not a soft target for cartels and their current trafficking tactics,” he said.
