Editors --- "Striking success with record drug seizures" [1998] AUFPPlatypus 32; (1998) 61 Platypus: Journal of the Australian Federal Police, Article 3

• Cocaine hauls

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Striking success with record drug seizures

Australia's largest haul of heroin was just one of many significant drug seizures made by the AFP this year.

Commissioner Mick Palmer said the seizure of a now confirmed 390kg of heroin near Port Macquarie on the NSW mid-north coast in October was the most successful drug interdiction this country has ever seen.

The Strike Team operation was a clear reflection of the potential benefits of the Federal Government's Tough on Drugs initiatives, the Commissioner said.

The haul was made as three crew members of a freighter, the Uniana, which had sailed from South-East Asia, landed a small runabout craft on a secluded bay called Grants Beach.

Codenamed Linnet, the operation was run jointly with the Australian Customs Service, the NSW Police Service, the Royal Australian Navy and the Joint Asian Crime Group, including members of the National Crime Authority, and resulted in 18 people being arrested.

The haul, which had a street value of almost $400 million, represents almost twice the average yearly total of heroin seizures in Australia.

The freighter, Uniana, which has modifications including long-range fuel tanks and sophisticated communications and radar equipment, is thought to be a custom-made, drug-smuggling vessel.

An organised criminal syndicate which clearly had international connections had been disrupted by the operation, Commissioner Palmer said.

"Arresting drug runners in remote areas late at night, and with boats involved, requires expert personnel and equipment and unavoidably a significant level of danger," he said.

"The courage and professionalism by everyone involved should not be underestimated.

"The successful resolution to this operation reflects great credit on the skills of all personnel both on the ground and behind the scenes.

"Although it is unfair to name individuals in such a collective team effort, recognition should be paid to Federal Agents Ray Tinker and Eric Curtis whose early liaison work overseas was the foundation on which this operation was based. I also want to acknowledge the on-the-ground leadership by Federal Agent Kevin Zuccato who was team leader for the operation. AFP personnel were strongly supported by their counterparts in Customs and the NSW Police and indeed the level of overall inter-agency goodwill, cooperation and commitment were fundamental ingredients in the operation's success.

"Drugs are bad news for Australian society, however the Strike Teams and the cooperation we are now seeing across agencies has the potential to make a real difference, and this is an example of it," Mr Palmer said.

Another major drug haul was made eight days after the central coast heroin arrests with the seizure of 17kg of ecstasy in Sydney in October.

Two men were arrested after the drugs, concealed in water pumps and packed in wooden crates, arrived at Sydney Airport on a Cathay Pacific Airlines flight.

"This is a significant amount of amphetamines and is the second largest seizure of this drug in Australia, carrying a value of $4.9 million," Minister for Justice and Customs, Senator Amanda Vanstone said.

More than 70,000 tablets of the dangerous drug had been prevented from reaching the streets, the Minister said.

In Adelaide, ecstasy was seized in early November when Customs officers found about 23,000 tablets in a consignment which resulted in a 45-year-old woman being arrested and charged by AFP agents.

The drugs were allegedly concealed in 20 packages weighing a total of 5.8kg and hidden inside a mini stereo system sent from overseas to a residential address in the Adelaide suburb of Flagstaff Hill.

After Customs officers at the Gouger Street Mail Exchange found the consignment, they notified the AFP and in a subsequent operation, the consignment was delivered to the Flagstaff Hill address where the woman was arrested and charged with offences under the Customs Act.

Cocaine hauls

Two large seizures of cocaine, totalling 8kg, were made in separate incidents at Sydney Airport in October.

About 5kg of cocaine was found in a body pack worn by a man on a flight from Argentina, while about 3kg of the drug had been found a few days earlier concealed in the luggage of another man who had also arrived from Argentina.

Senator Vanstone said the latest seizures were further proof that the Government's Tough on Drugs Strategy was continuing to keep harmful drugs off Australia's streets.

"Reducing supply is a critical element of the Tough on Drugs strategy and full praise should go to the dedicated law enforcement officers who have a crucial role to play in this effort," she said.