Monday, Nov 19, 2012
TONGA - Two divers came across a washed-up yacht. Curious, they went aboard the 13m "JeReVe" and made a gruesome discovery of a badly decomposed body.
The yacht had run aground on the island of Luatatifo, in the northern Vava'u province of the small Pacific island nation of Tonga.
The divers alerted the police who later made a surprising discovery of their own - 200kg of cocaine with a street value of US$120 million (S$147 million) was found on board the yacht, AFP reported.
Australian Federal Police said yesterday that international law agencies had been monitoring the yacht from when it left South America until they lost contact with it last month.
"Also located on board that vessel were 204 one-kilo blocks of cocaine destined for the Australian market," Australia's acting national manager for serious and organised crime David Sharpe said at a press conference.
He added that the dead body was so decomposed that an initial post-mortem examination done had difficulty in identifying a cause of death.
Tongan authorities were initially unable to search the yacht when it was found earlier this month due to tidal conditions and its remote location. The drugs were found in its hull.
The massive seizure is now part of an ongoing operation involving police in Tonga, the Cook Islands, Australia and the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
US DEA spokesman David Cali said the authorities believe they know the identities of two people who were on the boat when it left South America, Australian Associated Press reported.
Mr Sharpe was tight-lipped about whether the second person was likely to still be alive. Australia has provided forensic services to help establish the identify of the Caucasian male body, which is subject to an inquiry by coroners in Tonga.
The police in Tonga have not ruled out the possibility that the death was suspicious, saying it remains "an unexplained death".
The Australian authorities were first alerted by US authorities that a vessel with cocaine was en route from Ecuador in August.
Both countries have been working to target global organised crime syndicates that use the South Pacific to move their goods.
When information suggested that the yacht was in waters near the Cook Islands, thepolice there were brought into the investigation.
Mr Sharpe said the cooperation between Australia and its Pacific neighbours demonstrated the reach of law enforcement.
He said: "This is the fourth vessel since 2010 targeting Australia - a total of 1.1 tonnes of cocaine on four yachts that have been stopped."
Australian Customs and Border Protection spokesman Neil Sugget said: "The South Pacific is a huge expanse out there.
"Clearly, no one is responsible for the whole Pacific. Everybody has to play their part. We've got no choice but to get out there and work with every other country in a cooperative manner."
