Authorities in New South Wales and Queensland have made a major breakthrough in their fight against drug trafficking with the arrest of five men linked to a sophisticated cocaine smuggling operation. This illegal enterprise involved concealing cocaine within timber, a tactic that has now been thwarted.

Detective Superintendent John Watson revealed that the seized drugs have an estimated street value exceeding $14 million, marking a significant victory for law enforcement.

“This arrest represents a pivotal moment for us,” Watson stated, underscoring the importance of the operation’s success.

He explained, “The operation involved impregnating cocaine into wooden planks, a method that required a complex extraction process using chemicals to retrieve the drug.”

“Once extracted, the substance needed to be chemically processed and reconstituted into the cocaine form that is commonly recognized,” Watson added.

“Then that substance would have had to have been reconstituted into what we know as cocaine.

“They are linked to organised crime,” Watson said.

On January 2 this year, police arrested a 33-year-old man in Kingsford, Sydney, while he was allegedly in possession of 2kg of cocaine and $6800 in cash.

He was charged with drug and proceeds of crime offences and will next appear in court on February 26.

Investigators will allege the man had flown from Ballina to Sydney to make a drug pickup.

On January 4, police searched a car parked at Ballina Airport, where they allegedly found a duffle bag containing 723g of cocaine, 112g of ketamine, and almost $400,000 in cash.

Detectives also searched a mobile phone, allegedly finding images and videos of what appeared to be 100kg of cocaine embedded into wooden planks.

The origin of the timber is under investigation.

Investigators established that the planks were being stored in sheds on the Gold Coast and in Lismore.

At about 2.40pm on January 22, strike force detectives – with the assistance of Queensland Police – executed a crime scene warrant at a property in Lismore, allegedly seizing six tonnes of wooden planks.

Four men – aged 42, 45, 46 and 55 – were arrested and charged with producing cocaine and possessing drug-processing equipment.

At about 7.30am yesterday, police attended a home at Ocean Shores, north of Byron Bay.

They arrested a 33-year-old man and charged him with commercial drug supply and directing a criminal group.

He was refused bail and will appear in court today.

Watson praised the partnership between the NSW and Queensland Police as a “good example” of successful cross-border policing.

“Information flowed quickly, resources were shared, and the result is a major disruption to organised crime,” Watson said.

Strike Force Capulin was established in August last year by NSW Police to investigate the supply of illegal drugs in the state’s north.

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