yacht seized with drugs

Jailed British drugs smuggler used luxury yacht for international £160m cocaine plot

Andrew Cole was the link between an international organised crime syndicate and a UK group - and his role was to ensure the safe receipt, passage, and transfer of the cocaine to the crew of a luxury yacht.

By Laura Mowat, news reporter

Thursday 26 May 2022 15:07, UK

A British drugs smuggler who used a luxury yacht in a bid to smuggle £160m worth of cocaine into the UK has been jailed for 18 years.

Andrew Cole, 33, of Norton Road, Stockton-on-Tees, was aboard the luxury yacht Kahu when it was stopped off the coast of Plymouth.

Last September, Border Force and National Crime Agency (NCA) officers intercepted the yacht and discovered the massive haul of cocaine - totalling two tonnes - from South America.

Cole admitted smuggling the Class A drugs, which were between 60% and 80% pure, in January this year.

He was the link between an international organised crime syndicate and a UK group - and his role was to ensure the safe receipt, passage, and transfer of the cocaine to the yacht's crew.

On 28 August 2021, Cole sent a message, "Count is complete. 2000 bits", which meant 2,000 kilos of cocaine had been handed over to the Kahu.

Five other men, the captain and four crew members, were acquitted by a jury.

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How text messages exposed smuggling plot

In the months before the Jamaican-flagged Kahu sailed, Cole had been involved in planning the smuggling operation, and travelled to Costa Rica and Panama in May 2021.

In early July he flew from Panama to Miami and the following day he flew to Barbados, where the Kahu arrived on 29 July from Florida.

During the journey across the Atlantic, Cole used a Samsung phone to contact others involved - and it ended up providing investigators with a running commentary on the smuggling operation.

The phone's messages show the Kahu was to meet with another vessel coming from Suriname in South America and take possession of the drugs.

As Cole and the crew realised a Border Force vessel was tailing them, a text message was sent saying: "We are getting boarded."

The response, which went unread, said: "Throw satphones what you use. Throw all phones. Did you copy, throw all phones."

Gavin Heckles, NCA operations manager, said: "This was a huge haul of cocaine, which we and our law enforcement partners have prevented coming into the UK drugs market and being sold across UK communities, where it would have fuelled more crime.

"We thank colleagues from Border Force and Australian Federal Police who were both key in seizing these drugs and the jailing of Andrew Cole."

The yacht was sold at auction earlier this month for £473,500.

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By SuperyachtNews 13 Sep 2021

37m exploration yacht seized in drug investigation

M/y kahu, a converted ex-navy patrol vessel with a complex history, provides a cautionary tale for the potential misuse of an ageing fleet….

Intercepted in international waters off the south coast of the UK, 6 individuals aboard the 37m New Zealand-built M/Y Kahu have been arrested, and 2000kg of cocaine seized.

Built at Whangarei Engineering & Construction Ltd (WECO) in 1979, it originally served as a small navy patrol vessel before being purchased and undergoing an extensive refit at Fitzroy Yachts in 2011. The then-owner of both Kahu and the Fitzroy Yachts yard, Peter White-Robinson, when interviewed by SuperyachtNews in 2012, outlined his family’s plan for Kahu to undertake a full round-the-world itinerary, finishing in 2015. 

Kahu set sail in August 2012; however, after reaching Canada in May 2013, Fitzroy Yachts fell into financial difficulties, and White-Robinson stepped down. The voyage was cancelled, and Kahu was sold. The exploration focussed refit of Kahu was extensive, as White-Robinson said at the time: “We added a lot of equipment like a sewage treatment plant, watermakers, a third generator, stabilisers, bow and stern thrusters and an extra anchoring system. We’ve upgraded all the electronics and GPS, radar, and we have a whole different suite of instruments up there in the bridge." Most importantly, considering the travel itinerary planned, its fuel capacity was upped from 13,000l to 32,000l, giving an 8000-mile range at 8 knots, as White-Robinson continued, “The navy listed their range as being 1300 miles, so we have a much better range now.” 

Kahu’s last known asking price was around €1.5 million and it was seized with what has been estimated as €200 million worth of cocaine on board. Considering the potential range and capabilities of the vessel, its repurposing is easier to understand. At a superficial level, the regularity of crossings from the Caribbean and Latin America to the UK and Europe may have implied that this voyage was not out of the ordinary. However, initial reports suggest that a coordinated investigation between The Australian Federal Police and the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) was tracking the vessel and aware of its cargo. It also serves as a warning to the industry; there are many smaller, ageing and private vessels that can be misused. 

With the migration of increasing numbers of vessels into geopolitically unstable regions and narco-trafficking hotspots, there is also the potential exposure of more yachts and crew to compromising situations. If the forces behind the global drugs trade are willing to build entire submarines - a recent electric version that was seized costing an estimated 1.5 million USD  according to the Colombian Navy - We may see more interest from the illicit drugs trade into the vessels operating in regions affected by drug production and export, and those capable of transporting large quantities of drugs across long ranges. 

The seizure of Kahu is an inauspicious juncture for an explorer that represented an impressive yacht conversion example. There are many other yachts of its type and cost with a trans-Atlantic range, with data from The Superyacht Agency calculating that there are nearly 400 motoryachts with a last known asking price of €1.5 million or under that could make the crossing. Increased awareness of the full lifestyle of the fleet and the potential exposure of crew to compromising situations is needed. This is certainly not the first such case and will not be the last. 

Image credit: National Crime Agency (NCA) 

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Cocaine Yacht Carrying $77 Million Worth of Drugs Captured During Atlantic Storm

A pleasure boat carrying more than a ton of cocaine was captured during a rough Atlantic storm by an international team of law enforcement officials.

According to the Portugal News , the bust — codenamed Operation Gloria — was the culmination of two weeks of investigation by the Drug Trafficking Unit of the Portuguese police in conjunction with the Air Force and the Navy.

The investigation began with another collaboration, as information assembled by the DEA in the United States, the UK's National Crime Agency, French and Spanish law enforcement and Portugal's Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre-Narcotics led to a profile of a smuggling organization that was using sailboats to move drugs.

The Portuguese police pinpointed an incoming vessel and ventured out into a wild Atlantic storm to intercept it before it could make land. They boarded the sailboat, arresting two men on board and seizing over a ton of cocaine. The drugs have a street value of more than $77 million, authorities said.

"In the course of this operation in the middle of rough weather in the Atlantic Ocean, the PJ located and then intercepted a sailboat that was being used to transport 1,820 kg of cocaine," a spokesperson told the News .

The men arrested were not Portuguese nationals, authorities said. They are expected to appear in court Monday.

The sea route to Portugal is popular for drug smuggling. In May 2019, the Portugal News reported a similar interception of a fishing boat off the coast of Cape Verde with more than a thousand kilograms of cocaine on board.

That boat was crewed by seven Brazilian nationals, who had picked up the drugs near the coast of Brazil with the intent of distributing it to the European market.

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The drugs, which were parceled out into 50 raffia bags, were seized by Portuguese police after the vessel was brought by the Navy to Alfeite harbor. They discovered that the so-called fishing boat had not engaged in any actual fishing activity since leaving Brazil, with the only sea life on board frozen in the ship's kitchen, the Portugal News reported.

The lawyer for the vessel's owner protested the ship's seizure, claiming that because the boat was in Cape Verdean waters, it was illegal for Portuguese police to impound it.

Brazil is one of the most common sources for cocaine smuggled to the Atlantic coast, especially through the Iberian peninsula. Drugs are produced in other South American countries including Colombia, Bolivia and Paraguay and shipped there for intercontinental transport.

Traffickers have tried myriad methods to disguise their illegal cargo. The BBC reported that in 2018, a shipment of more than 1,600 pounds of cocaine was seized there hidden inside fresh pineapples.

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Cocaine worth £160m found on super yacht off the coast of Plymouth

• West Country
• Devon and Cornwall Police
• Saturday 11 September 2021 at 2:57pm

Watch the moment officers seized drugs on board the yacht.

More than two tonnes of cocaine, worth around £160 million, has been found on a luxury yacht off the coast of Devon.

Six men have been arrested in connection with the raid which happened at sea near Plymouth.

The men – one Briton from Stockton on Tees, County Durham, and five Nicaraguans – were arrested on Thursday evening in an operation led by the National Crime Agency (NCA) and supported by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Border Force.

The suspects were aboard the Kahu – a luxury Jamaican-flagged yacht sailing from the Caribbean.

It was escorted back to the UK mainland where a team carried out a deep rummage search and discovered the enormous haul of Class A drugs.

The men, whose ages range from 24 to 49, were arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking and remain in police custody.

Matt Horne, NCA deputy director, said: “There’s no doubt these drugs would have been sold on into communities across the UK in such ways as County Lines fuelling more crime and misery.

“Organised crime groups are motivated by money. The deprivation of these drugs will smash a hole in the OCG’s plans and ability to operate.

“Also, the arrests of the men transporting the drugs means the crime group has lost trusted offenders who would have been key to their operation."

Cocaine worth £80million on its way to UK seized on yacht

Five people were arrested after a one-tonne shipment of cocaine worth over £80million was intercepted before it could end up on the streets of the UK.

The enormous haul of Class A drugs was discovered aboard a yacht as it crossed the Atlantic ocean after leaving the Caribbean by Spanish Customs in joint operation with the National Crime Agency.

Suspected smugglers - aged 46, 70 and 29 - were aboard the SY Windwhisper vessel when the haul was unearthed on June 13.

A 38-year-old man and a 41-year-old man have also been arrested by Spanish officers in the Costa de Sol after officials were confident the pair were “linked to the vessel”.

The arrests are linked to an ongoing investigation into international drug trafficking that has so far resulted in the arrest of a number of individuals in Spain and the seizure of 1.6 tonnes of hashish, 45,000 Euros and four sailing vessels.

Dave Hucker, Head of European Operations for NCA International said: “This is a huge haul of cocaine with an estimated street value of more than £80million. I have no doubt the drugs on board were destined for the streets of the UK, so this seizure is a significant result.

“We know that the criminal trade in drugs is driven by financial gain, and the loss of the profit that would have been made from these drugs will have a major impact on the crime groups involved.

“We continue to work with our international law enforcement partners to identify those responsible for supplying class A drugs to the UK, and will do all we can to disrupt their supply chains”.

The British head of the organised gang– a former Royal Navy officer living in Southern Spain – was among those previously arrested.

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Known to law enforcement agencies for his links to organised crime groups in the UK and Ukraine, officers believe he trained the crew and ran several companies engaged in buying, selling and renting sailing vessels that were subsequently used to conduct drugs transportations.

Five men deny smuggling two tonnes of cocaine found on yacht

• Published 18 October 2021

Five men have denied drug trafficking offences after more than two tonnes of cocaine were seized on board a luxury yacht.

The Nicaraguan nationals are accused of being knowingly concerned in the supply or concealing of a class A drug.

They each pleaded not guilty during a brief hearing at Plymouth Crown Court on Monday.

A sixth defendant, Andrew Cole, 32, from Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, did not enter a plea.

Billy Downs, 49, Denson White-Morales, 34, Edwin Taylor-Morgan, 40, Brynie Sjogreen, 38, and Ryan Taylor, 42, all from Nicaragua, all pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The drugs were seized from the yacht Kahu 80 miles (129km) off Plymouth in September.

It is alleged the men knew or had reasonable grounds to suspect that the drugs were intended to be imported or had been exported in contravention of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.

Plymouth Magistrates' Court heard previously the cocaine had an estimated street value of £160m.

Judge Robert Linford fixed a trial date for 9 March 2022 and remanded all six defendants into custody.

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Two men arrested in ACT have charges mentioned in Brisbane court over $61 million yacht cocaine seizure in Townsville

Two men have had charges mentioned in a Brisbane court today in relation to the seizure of nearly 250 kilograms of cocaine from a yacht in Townsville.

Key points:

• Border Force seized 247kg of cocaine hidden in the hull of a yacht 
• The yacht had sailed to Townsville from Vanuatu
• Two men were arrested in Canberra over the seizure and extradited to Brisbane to face court

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) say they will allege the men, aged 55 and 44, travelled to Townsville from Canberra in May to recover the cocaine, which was stashed in the hull of a yacht that sailed to Australia from Vanuatu.

The yacht arrived in Townsville in April, raising the suspicions of the Australian Border Force (ABF), which restricted its movement for 90 days while investigating.

ABF Acting Commander of Operations in Queensland, Melati Smith, said during the investigation, the ABF noticed "minor anomalies" with the hull of the vessel.

"ABF officers believed that the vessel posed a risk … at which point in time the vessel was removed from the water," she said. 

During the investigation, the ABF noticed "minor anomalies" with the hull of the vessel.

Detective Superintendent Adrian Telfer from the AFP said it was difficult to locate and extract the drugs from the hull. 

"This network went to extensive efforts to conceal this on the yacht … it took a significant coordinated effort for us to actually get access to the yacht and recover these drugs," he said. 

They found and seized 247kg of cocaine with an estimated street value of around $61 million hidden in the hull.

The men were arrested at an apartment in the Canberra suburb of Griffith on Thursday. 

The AFP alleged that a bag of nearly $300,000 was thrown from a balcony by one of the men when officers arrived.

Police will allege that money was the proceeds of crime.

The pair faced the ACT Magistrates Court last Friday on charges of importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug and dealing in proceeds of crime, before being extradited to Brisbane the following day.

The maximum penalty for these offences is life imprisonment.

The pair did not appear in the Brisbane Magistrates Court today when the charges were mentioned.

One man had his matter adjourned, the other was remanded in custody.

Further arrests not ruled out

Detective Superintendent Telfer from the AFP said the cocaine trade drives violence on Australian streets by empowering criminal organisations.

"We believe that this is obviously aligned to an organised crime network working both internationally and here domestically in Australia," he said.

"Every time someone buys cocaine they are lining the pockets of organised crime gangs who are responsible for violence here in Australia and around the world," he said.

"That's money which criminal groups would use to buy weapons, corrupt officials and governments overseas and turn the Pacific into an illicit drug super highway.

He said more arrests were possible in relation to the incident.

"We've successfully arrested two people in Canberra but obviously there's a fair bit more work to do and identify the entire syndicate involved,” he said.

“We're still making inquiries to actually identify those who were on board the yacht.”

Detective Superintendent Telfer said investigations were continuing and will look to figure out who the owner of the yacht is and where the drugs were headed.

"That's something that we're still trying to establish, obviously where the intended location for these drugs were but that's something that we hope we'll be able to identify during this investigation,” he said.

Commander James Copeman from the ABF said the arrests were an example of inter-agency cooperation between Australia's law enforcement bodies.

"It doesn't matter if it's a container laden with heroin, an envelope full of methamphetamine or a sailing vessel packed with cocaine, our officers have the skills, technology and inquisitive mindset to detect it," Commander Copeman said.

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INVESTIGATION AND ANALYSIS OF ORGANIZED CRIME

How Yachts Contribute to Trans-Atlantic Cocaine Trade

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A yacht, found off the coast of Portugal with the country’s largest-ever haul of cocaine, illustrates how these smaller, private vessels have become a favored modus operandi to move cocaine between Latin America and lucrative European markets.  

Portuguese and Spanish authorities seized 5.2 tons of cocaine , valued at $232 million , on a yacht 550 kilometers off the coast of Portugal on October 18.

The drug bust represented the largest cocaine seizure in Portugal in 15 years . It marked the largest cocaine seizure ever on a yacht , according to Luis Neves, the director of Portugal’s police force for criminal investigations.

The operation was part of an investigation that began in early 2021 into how vast quantities of cocaine from Colombia and Venezuela were being moved to Europe via private yachts, according to a press release issued by Spain’s National Police .

SEE ALSO: The Cocaine Pipeline to Europe

Portuguese media report that three suspects were arrested during the operation, two Spaniards and a Peruvian . One of them, Carlos Silla , was wanted for another cocaine shipment discovered on a yacht in March 2020. The seizure was connected to a prominent drug trafficking group specializing in moving drugs via yacht along the Ría de Arousa estuary in Spain’s northwest region of Galicia.

In 2021, a string of seizures has shown how commonly yachts and sailboats are used to move cocaine to Europe. Similar seizures have been made in the waters of the United Kingdom , mainland Spain and the Canary Islands .

InSight Crime Analysis

The widespread use of yachts is not new but shows the extensive and varied challenges of stymieing the cocaine pipeline between Latin America and Europe.

In recent years, drug traffickers have been confident enough in their maritime routes to dispatch multi-ton cocaine shipments across the Atlantic, despite the risk of losing hundreds of millions of dollars in cargo if detected by authorities. However, cargo ship drug busts have been on the rise.

The use of yachts or other sailboats makes it significantly more difficult for law enforcement to track shipments and reduces the quantity of cocaine seized at a time.

SEE ALSO: Spain: The European Base for Latin American Organized Crime

For example, earlier in October, the Portuguese navy boarded a larger vessel 600 nautical miles off the coast of Portugal with 2.5 tons of cocaine on board. According to police, this shipment was set to be offloaded onto numerous smaller boats, like yachts, to then be distributed onto the shore. The tens of thousands of private sailboats in Europe means they cannot possibly be subject to as much oversight as cargo ships. There are efforts to increase international collaboration to stop drugs onboard ships, such as efforts by the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre (MAOC) or the United Nations’ Container Control Programme. Still, these are designed to help detect large, multi-ton drug loads on cargo ships and in containers while at port. Time will tell whether authorities can adapt to track drug shipments on smaller vessels consistently.

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What Happens After a Superyacht Is Seized? It’s Uncharted Territory.

It's one thing to confiscate a yacht, another to sell it. analysts expect legal battles and hefty maintenance costs while the vessels are impounded., jaclyn trop, jaclyn trop's most recent stories.

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Six weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine, authorities are detaining more luxury yachts in global ports than ever. This week’s tally includes 12 vessels under construction in The Netherlands —the world’s foremost superyacht builder—and a $120 million yacht seized in Spanish waters on an FBI warrant.

The US Department of Justice worked with Spanish authorities to capture the 255-foot Tango , owned by Motiv Telecom founder Viktor Vekselberg. The US has joined a growing number of countries detaining superyachts suspected of belonging to businessmen connected to Vladimir Putin.

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“ Tango is not the first time the United States has ever asked a foreign government to assist in executing a warrant,” said Stefan Cassella, a lawyer who served as Chief of the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section in the US Attorney’s Office in Maryland. “But it does seem to be the first time it’s happened in the context of property belonging to a Russian oligarch who was evading sanctions.”

Yacht seizures have been targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s cronies, and Putin himself. It’s rumored that he owns the $700-million Scheherazade, which is being held by Italian authorities.  Courtesy AP/Sputnik

US Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said on Monday that Tango “will not be the last” yacht belonging to members of Putin’s inner circle to be confiscated.

Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Finland and The Netherlands have detained over the last month billions of dollars in vessels believed to be owned by sanctioned Russians. Last week, the UK government seized its first superyacht, the 192-foot, $45 million Phi   in London’s Canary Wharf.

“The current situation is unprecedented,” Benjamin Maltby, partner at Keystone Law in the UK and an expert in yacht and luxury-asset law, told Robb Report.

The 433-foot Crescent was seized on March 17 by Spanish authorities.  Courtesy Sipa USA via AP

Most large yachts are registered by offshore corporations in island tax havens to obscure their ownership. “If the owner wants to make it difficult, then it can be very hard to trace,” Maltby said . Owners often use shareholders, directors and family members as proxies. The Phi , for example, is registered to a company based in the Caribbean but flies the Maltese flag.

The multinational effort to seize oligarch-owned yachts—which often come with swimming pools, helipads, and millions of dollars in annual maintenance fees—is expected to put economic pressure on Putin and his allies. Owning a superyacht, the ultimate status symbol, is practically a prerequisite for joining Russia’s oligarchy.

But there are multiple legal considerations. Freezing a yacht means that the owner can’t sell the ship or transfer ownership, or provide maintenance services. However, the sanctions don’t allow countries to take ownership of oligarch-owned yachts, giving rise to uncertainties over the fates of the superyachts accumulating in shipyards throughout Europe.

The seizure of Tango on Monday involved Spanish authorities working with FBI agents. The US seized the yacht after connecting it to Putin crony Viktor Vekselberg.  Courtesy AP/Francisco Ubilla

Maintaining a yacht is an expensive endeavor because it is continually exposed to the elements. “A vessel is treated very much like a person or corporation,” Michael Karcher, a maritime lawyer with Robert Allen Law in Miami, told Robb Report. “The boat can run up its own bills. Then, if the yacht is in someone’s boatyard, there’s the question of ‘Can we do any business with them?’”

The ripple effect extends to caterers, yacht brokers, mortgage and insurance companies, and dozens of other industries connected to the yacht’s operation and maintenance.

“When a yacht is seized while in a yard, the owner will remain liable for the maintenance costs,” Maltby said. “But if the owner is unable to pay, the yard is left in a difficult position.”

Equanimity was seized by Malaysia and sold off in 2019 for half of its value. But the yachting world has never seen anything like the mass seizures taking place with the Russian oligarchs.  Courtesy AP

The situation remains unclear for the shipyards and marinas docking the yachts.

Karcher said that he receives calls from shipyards each time the Treasury Department sends a new round of sanctioned names, asking whether they’ve dealt with anyone on the list. “Some are saying, ‘Hey, who is this guy.’ Then they realize there’s this boat taking up a few hundred feet of dock space. ‘Who’s going to pay for it?’”

The answer may vary by jurisdiction.

Roman Abramovich, who was in Turkey earlier this week to observe the peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. His $600 million Solaris set sail from Istanbul for international waters this week, while his other yacht Eclipse remains in that country. Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the Maldives are not seizing the Russian oligarchs’ yachts, so many targeted vessels have moved into those waters.  Courtesy AP

The British government has said that Phi ’s owner will be held responsible for all maintenance costs while the boat is ordered to remain at Canary Wharf in London’s docklands. One legal expert said Spanish authorities are likely to maintain Tango while in their custody.

But at most marinas, “yard invoices are indeed just stacking up—unpaid and un-payable,” Maltby said. “Yet the judicial mechanisms for liquidation remain in place. Will we see some bargains coming onto the market in the summer months?”

Many analysts expect protracted lawsuits. “The United States and Western countries have considerable authority to seize property, but less authority to keep it,” wrote Jonathan Turley in USA Today . “The reason is that, unlike Russia, these countries are bound by property rights and rules of due process.”

Lady M was seized by Italian tax authorities on March 5. Owner Alexei Mordashov is on the sanctions list.  Courtesy AP

To take ownership of an oligarch’s yacht, governments have to show that the property was part of a crime. Turley wrote that it may be challenging for prosecutors to prove that the yachts are the result of “proceeds of illegal activity” rather than purchased via legitimate business channels. The seizures could take years in the courts to sort out.

For the moment, the yacht confiscations and freezing of assets seem to be accelerating. The list of detained superyachts include the $580 million Sailing Yacht A owned by coal and fertilizer magnet Andrey Melnichenko; the $153 million Valerie belonging to Sergei Chemezov, CEO of Russian state-owned defense conglomerate Rostec; and t he $120 million Amore Vero linked to Russian oligarch Igor Sechin.

Others are under the watchful eye of the US, UK, and EU, as well as amateurs watching VesselFinder ,  MarineTraffic , and other location-monitoring apps.

Town residents in La Ciotat, France, look at the impounded Amore Vera , owned by Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin.  Courtesy AP

On Monday, Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich moved his $600 million Solaris from a Turkish port and into international waters. His $1.5 billion Eclipse , one of the world’s longest and most expensive superyachts, remains docked off the coast of Turkey. Abramovich is believed to own several other yachts as well.

Meanwhile, police in Italy are investigating the Scheherazade , a 460-foot superyacht thought to belong to Vladimir Putin that remains docked at a Tuscan resort.

No yachts have been seized in US waters, but the Biden administration has taken aggressive measures to punish Russians who have benefitted from “ill-begotten gains,” as President Joe Biden said in his State of the Union address last month.

Seizing a yacht is easy, selling it is much more complicated. Analysts expect many legal battles over the yachts.  Courtesy AP

Authorities say many yachts remain in international waters or docked in countries that have not imposed sanctions , such as the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and the Maldives.

That island nation is said to have a half-dozen Russian-owned superyachts in its waters, including Andrey Melnichenko’s 390-foot Motor Yacht A . The country’s chief prosecutor, Hussain Shameem, told Reuters that the idea of confiscating a Russian superyacht was “far-fetched” because of the country’s rudimentary legal system and lack of a military.

Congress is considering a bi-partisan bill called “Yachts for Ukraine” that would allow authorities to seize Russian-owned assets of $5 million or more. The bill permits the government to sell the assets and send the cash to aid humanitarian and reconstruction efforts in Ukraine. The Department of Justice also announced a $5 million reward for tips leading to yacht owners on the sanctions list, but so far has not disbursed any reward money.

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Afp charge two men with cocaine yacht import.

This is a joint release between Australian Federal Police, Australian Border Force and the Queensland Police Service.

Editor’s note: vision of the extradition and images of the yacht can be downloaded via Hightail .

The AFP has charged two men with importing a commercial quantity of cocaine as part of an investigation into 247kg of cocaine seized from a yacht moored in Townsville.

The men, both from Griffith in the ACT and aged 55 and 44, were arrested at their apartment on Thursday (20 July, 2023).

Police allege one of the men threw a backpack containing $290,000 cash in a vacuum sealed bag from the apartment balcony when the AFP knocked on the front door and announced they had a search warrant.

It will be alleged the cash is proceeds of crime.

It’s alleged the men travelled to Townsville from Canberra in May to recover a commercial quantity of cocaine that was hidden inside the yacht’s hull.

The yacht arrived in Townsville in April after sailing from Vanuatu. After a comprehensive search of the vessel in the water on arrival, officers still believed the vessel posed a threat and restricted the vessel to port for 90 days whilst investigations continued.

Once out of the water, Australian Border Force (ABF) and Australian Federal Police officers found minor anomalies with the vessels hull. Using a variety of mechanical tools, ABF and AFP officers removed 247kg of cocaine hidden in enclosed sections.

Investigations into the seized drugs are ongoing.

Both men appeared in the ACT Magistrates Court on Friday (21 July) before being extradited to Brisbane on Saturday (22 July).

The Griffith man, 55, is due to appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court today (24 July), charged with:

• Importing a commercial quantity of border controlled drug, contrary to section 307.1 of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth);
• Dealing in the proceeds of crime etc. - money or property worth $100,000 or more, contrary to section 400.4(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth); and
• Failing to comply with an order made under  section 3LA(6) Crimes Act 1914 (Cth).

The other Griffith man, 44, is due to appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court today (24 July), charged with:

• Importing a commercial quantity of border controlled drug, contrary to section 307.1 of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth); and
• Dealing in the proceeds of crime etc. - money or property worth $100,000 or more, contrary to section 400.4(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth).

The maximum penalty for these offence is life imprisonment.

AFP Detective Superintendent Adrian Telfer said the cocaine trade fuelled violence on Australian streets and increased the power of organised crime.

“Every time someone buys cocaine they are lining the pockets of organised crime gangs who are responsible for violence here in Australia and around the world,” he said.

“This amount of cocaine has an estimated street value of $61,750,000.

“That’s money which criminal groups would use to buy weapons, corrupt officials and governments overseas and turn the Pacific into an illicit drug superhighway.”

“The AFP and our partners, through the Queensland Joint Organised Crime Task Force (QJOCTF) work to stop drugs, like cocaine, hitting our shores because illicit drugs contribute to the road toll, child neglect and domestic violence.”

“The investigation remains ongoing and we do not rule out more arrests in the future.”

ABF Commander James Copeman said this is yet another example of Australian Law Enforcement Agencies working closely together to protect the Australian community.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s a container laden with heroin, an envelope full of methamphetamine or a sailing vessel packed with cocaine, our officers have the skills, technology and inquisitive mindset to detect it.” 

Queensland Police Service Chief Superintendent Craig Morrow said, “Joint operations like these combine the resources and intelligence of each enforcement agency to detect, disrupt and deter the illegal drug trade in our country.”

 “Targeting the illegal drug trade by disrupting the supply and the distribution networks is a priority for all law enforcement agencies. The aim is to stop them from entering our community and causing untold damages to people and families.”

The QJOCTF is a multi-agency taskforce comprised of members of the Australian Federal Police (AFP), Queensland Police Service (QPS), Australian Border Force (ABF), Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC), Australian Taxation Office (ATO), and Australian Transaction Reporting and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC). The role of the QJOCTF is to investigate transnational serious and organised crime threats impacting Australia.

Note to media:

Media are encouraged to include help-seeking information in stories about illicit drugs to minimise any negative impact on people in the community. The following services provide people with access to support and information.

• For free and confidential advice about alcohol and other drug treatment services call the National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline on 1800 250 015.
• Access free 24/7 drug and alcohol counselling online at counsellingonline.org.au .
• For information about drug and alcohol addiction treatment or support, go to turningpoint.org.au .

Media enquiries: AFP Media: (02) 5126 9297

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Yacht damaged by Coast Guard in alleged drug smuggling operation

A 27 metre superyacht named Belgor has suffered damage after it was involved in a clash with a Coast Guard patrol vessel in Turkey. The incident is alleged to be part of a drug smuggling operation that came to a head earlier this week.

According to local media reports, the Coast Guard was attempting to investigate reports indicating the presence of drugs on board the yacht in Muğla, close to Bodrum. The yacht then attempted to leave the waters of Turkey and the Coast Guard responded by pursuing the superyacht.

According to Turkish news outlet T24, the Coast Guard "opened fire" on the yacht around the island of Bükkiremit. The Coast Guard vessel also rammed the yacht, suffering significant damage from the impact. Authorities were then able to apprehend the passengers.

The yacht was believed to be carrying four passengers at the time of the incident. There are mixed reports about whether or not there were injuries as a result of the clash, but it is understood that drugs were seized from on board the yacht.

Bodrum'da uyuşturucu kaçakçılığı yapan yat ile Türk Sahil Güvenliği arasında çatışma çıktı. Pert hale gelen yat Yunan karasularına girmeden yakalandı. pic.twitter.com/4BNnh9N3fl — Zulya (@Zulya48246965) July 28, 2022

An investigation is ongoing.

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Was Barack Obama Arrested in a Japanese Drug Bust?

Rumors that the former u.s. president was arrested in connection with the seizure of massive amounts of cocaine on his yacht are fake news., kim lacapria, david mikkelson, published april 7, 2017.

About this rating

In April 2017, rumors appeared on social media that former United States President Barack Obama had been arrested in Japan in connection with large quantities of cocaine purportedly found on his yacht:

The arrest rumor appeared to have originated via a 31 March 2017 blog post from Benjamin Fulford (who days earlier had claimed that the Japanese government was trying to kill him) that was further aggregated by other dubious web sites:

Former US President Barack Obama, in custody of the US military police, has informed on his drug dealing bosses, according to sources in Japanese military intelligence. As a result of this, an airplane filled with Afghan Heroin and North Korean amphetamines was impounded at Argyle International Airport on St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the Caribbean, the sources say. The money raised from this drug flight was intended to be used to finance the operations of Daesh (formerly known as ISIS), the sources say. This impoundment follows the capture of an Obama linked ship containing 4.2 tons of cocaine, the sources note.

At the bottom of the post was a citation referencing a 15 March 2017 post on conspiracy site WhatDoesItMean.com about Barack Obama's supposedly fleeing the scene of a drug bust that took place in the Caribbean on a "fishing vessel named the Lady Michelle" that was linked to the former president:

Obama Flees After Massive Drug Bust Aboard Lady Michelle Vessel In Caribbean An intriguing Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) report circulating in the Kremlin today states that former President Barack Obama fled Washington D.C. this past Friday (10 March) traveling to New York City, Omaha (Nebraska), San Jose (California) and ending up in Hawaii — all occurring within 36 hours while he sought elite allies to defend him, and keeping him ahead of investigators from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) of the US Department of the Treasury (DoT) seeking to interview him about one of the largest drug busts in American history occurring in the Caribbean aboard a fishing vessel named the Lady Michelle. 4.2 tons of seized cocaine, worth an estimated $125 million, from the President Barack Obama linked fishing vessel named Lady Michelle on 16 February 2017 According to this report, nearly immediately upon taking office as President Donald Trump’s Attorney General on 9 February, Jeff Sessions, as head of the US Department of Justice (DOJ), was handed a top secret file by Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey detailing the nearly two-decade long crimes of 12 current and former security and intelligence officers belonging to the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) who for at least 18 years under both the Bush and Obama regimes had smuggled into the United States at least $100 million worth of cocaine.

None this was true, as the "Obama drug bust" story originated with the WhatDoesItMean.com is a fake news conspiracy site, described by RationalWiki as follows :

Sorcha Faal is the alleged author of an ongoing series of "reports" published at WhatDoesItMean.com, whose work is of such quality that even other conspiracy nutters don't think much of it. Each report resembles a news story in its style but usually includes a sensational headline barely related to reality and quotes authoritative high-level Russian sources (such as the Russian Federal Security Service) to support its most outrageous claims. Except for the stuff attributed to unverifiable sources, the reports don't contain much original material. They are usually based on various news items from the mainstream media and/or whatever the clogosphere is currently hyperventilating about, with each item shoehorned into the conspiracy narrative the report is trying to establish.

The image used to illustrate the WhatDoesItMean article was taken from an earlier news report about a 16 February 2017 U.S. Coast Guard drug bust off the coast of Suriname that had nothing to do with Barack Obama or Japan:

The U.S. Coast Guard busted four men suspected of smuggling more than four tons of cocaine worth $125 million in the Atlantic Ocean. Officials said on Feb. 16 they intercepted a suspicious fishing boat off Paramaribo, Suriname. The 70-foot vessel was allegedly carrying numerous bales of cocaine, the Coast Guard said. Officials seized 4.2 tons of the drugs, worth an estimated $125 million in wholesale value.

By Kim LaCapria

Kim LaCapria is a former writer for Snopes.

By David Mikkelson

David Mikkelson founded the site now known as snopes.com back in 1994.

Article Tags

Haitian migrant boat with guns, drugs intercepted in Florida: What we know

Over two dozen people this past month were discovered by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers being smuggled into Florida, according to FWC reports. Included in the group were unaccompanied children and armed smugglers attempting to make their way into Sebastian Inlet on Feb. 29, FWC said in a statement released Friday. Law enforcement officials are continuing to investigate the case in which guns and drugs were also seized from a 42-foot vessel in in Brevard County near the Indian River County line. Gov. Ron DeSantis used it as a prime example for tougher laws.

What did FWC officers discover on migrant boat?

FWC reports said the boat's operator was armed. There were 25 people, including five unaccompanied children, on board the boat entering the country. Officers also found firearms, night vision gear and drugs, the report said. The exact details of the interdiction were not released.

Who is investigating the smuggling operation?

The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Customs and Border Protection are carrying out an investigation into the boat. It was not reported if charges had been filed in the case as of Monday morning.

What did Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis say about armed migrant boat?

DeSantis pointed to the incident as an example for the need to deter illegal immigration in a press conference this past weekend. Two separate laws signed by the governor would crack down on penalties for undocumented immigrants driving without a license and those who are re-entering the country after previously being deported.

“In their boat, in their vessel, they had firearms, they had drugs, they had night vision gear and were boating very recklessly, which would potentially endanger other folks,” DeSantis  told reporters on Friday.

DeSantis said int he press conference that the migrants were deported by the U.S. Coast Guard.

This incident comes two months after DeSantis announced that he is sending approximately 1,000 Florida National Guard troops to Texas to assist in security along the Mexican border.

Last week, DeSantis also announced that he was shoring up immigration security in the Florida Keys, where he deployed "250 additional officers and soldiers and over a dozen air and sea craft to the southern coast of Florida to protect our state."

Illegal marijuana operation busted near Pleasant Hill: Two arrested, 1,900 plants seized

Two Eugene residents were arrested last week after Lane County Sheriff's deputies discovered an illegal marijuana growing operation near Pleasant Hill.

Deputies conducted search warrants on March 15 at the illegal growth site on the 37000 block of Highway 58 in Pleasant Hill and at a separate address where the owner lived on the 5100 block of Saratoga Lane in Eugene, according to a release from the Lane County Sheriff's Office.

The investigation into the illegal growth operation was funded by the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission's Illegal Marijuana Market Grant , which was created in 2018 by the Oregon legislature to aid law enforcement efforts in addressing the illegal marijuana market.

More than 1,900 growing marijuana plants were located and destroyed, along with several hundred pounds of processed marijuana.

Deputies also seized more than 200 suspected fentanyl pills, psilocybin mushrooms, $40,000 in currency, a truck, and a large generator on a trailer that aided in the production of the marijuana, according to the release.

At least 42 firearms were discovered, as well as 4 suppressors and over 100,000 rounds of ammunition.

Two men were arrested, cited, and released for Unlawful Manufacture of Marijuana and Felony and Unlawful Possession of Marijuana.

Numerous county code and watermaster violations were discovered, many of which directly impacted surrounding areas, said Lane County Sheriff's Office in a press release. Lane County Land Management will be investigating the violations.

Haleigh Kochanski is a breaking news and public safety reporter for The Register-Guard. You may reach her at  [email protected] .

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Russian visa holder arrested, 45 thousand dollars in drug revenue seized

HAYWOOD COUNTY, — A drug bust resulted in the seizure of a half-ton of illegal narcotics along with the arrest of an individual with an interesting background.

Monday night, March 18th, agents with the 30th Judicial Drug Task Force pulled over a sprinter van on interstate-40 in Haywood County for a traffic violation.

According to agent Johnnie Carter, the agents received a hit from a canine that led to a probable cause search.

Upon opening the vehicle they found 1 thousand and 10 pounds of marijuana, 46 pounds of psilocybin, and around 45-thousand dollars in what they believe to be revenue made from the illegal sale of the drugs the individual had conducted during his trip from the west to east coast.

“Well, it’s our understanding that the defendant in this case was in California, but was not a U.S. Citizen but was a Russian National and he was smuggling drugs from California into other states across the U.S. So, Tennessee was just one stop of many for this particular defendant,” said Carter.

The defendant, Savinov Kirill, a Russian citizen here on a visa, was arrested at the scene.

He is being charged with schedule 6 and 1 drug violations and is being held at the Haywood County jail.

District Attorney General Frederick Agee says the appearance of illegal aliens trafficking drugs in Tennessee is all too common.

“But we’re seeing it more and more often that we’re seeing undocumented, illegal aliens, that are transporting illegal narcotics,” said Agee.

Agee says he believes this is because Tennessee’s regulation of marijuana creates a void for black market sales to exist in the state, thus making it a lucrative opportunity for outsiders to sell the drug here.

“I do believe that the Biden administration took a position on either decriminalizing or legalizing marijuana, you would see…you might not see it overnight but it would take some time but eventually the black market would be suppressed and so you would put people out of business who are involved in organized crime,” said Agee.

Agee wanted to give special thanks to the agents in the drug task force.

“Our drug task force, our Interstate Interdiction Unit is arguably one of the best in the entire country. We are the best in the state of Tennessee but we are arguably the best in the entire country,” said Agee.

District Attorney Frederick Agee says that they have not only arrested members of Russian mafia’s but also Chinese mafia members and Mexican cartel members.

For more local news, click  here.

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$300,000 in meth, drugs, smartphones seized during search at Mission jail

Police are investigating after nearly $300,000 in contraband, including methamphetamines and other drugs, was seized from the medium-security unit at Mission Institution.

The Correctional Service of Canada said the items were taken during a search of the unit on Sunday.

The service credited “the vigilance of staff members” for spotting the contraband, which also included two smartphones and accessories. The total value of the seizures is estimated at $298,310, acting assistant warden Mike Skalicky said in a statement on Tuesday.

Police were notified and a criminal investigation has been started.

The correctional service “uses a number of tools to prevent drugs from entering its institutions,” said Skalicky. “These tools include ion scanners and drug-detector dogs to search buildings, personal property, inmates and visitors.”

Following the seizures, security has been heightened to prevent contraband coming into the jail.

A tip line has also been so people can alert officials of drug use, trafficking or any other activities that “may threaten the safety and security of visitors, inmates and staff members” at all federal prisons.

The toll-free number is 1-866-780-3784 and all callers remain anonymous.

[email protected]

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Ny man claims he was treated like ‘some kind of drug kingpin’ after 750-pound pet alligator seized: ‘never endangered nobody’.

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Losing your favorite pet really bites!

An upstate New York man said he’s fighting to get his beloved 750-pound pet alligator back from state agents who seized it from his house in a raid where they treated him like “some kind of drug kingpin.”

Tony Cavallaro told The Post that he’s confident “thousands of supporters” will help him win back 34-year-old alligator Albert who was seized from his Hamburg home by state Department of Environmental Conservation workers last week.

“My God, they make me look like a drug lord, like Escobar, that’s what they treated it like,” Cavallaro said in a phone interview.

“What reason do they have to go to this extreme?” he told The Post. “They had full body armor two assault shotguns … It looks like a DEA drug bust of some kingpin. They looked like a SWAT team for a terrorist attack.”

An online petition asking for Albert to be reunited with his owner has drawn over 100,000 signatures, and supporters have begun producing “Free Albert” T-shirts and bumper stickers to spread the word and support Cavallaro’s legal fight.

The DEC showed up at Cavallaro’s home in Hamburg, a suburb about 15 miles south of downtown Buffalo, on March 13 with a warrant alleging he had “allowed members of the public to get into the water to pet the unsecured alligator.”

After taping Albert’s jaws shut, agents loaded the 11-foot-long gator into a van and carted it off to a temporary home with a licensed caretaker – but Cavallaro thinks the DEC were the only ones likely to harm his pet.

“My poor alligator, he doesn’t know what’s going on. He’s such a gentle giant, it’s unbelievable,” Cavallaro said. “Who knows what kind of damage they could have done to him.”

Cavallaro said he has owned Albert since the gator was just 2 months old, and after years of showing him in “educational shows” retired the aging beast in a large indoor pen. The luxurious pen came complete with a pond, specialized windows and lighting – which he attached to his house, he said.

Word of the unusual pet spread throughout the neighborhood, and then throughout the Buffalo community, leading to visits from curious onlookers who Cavallaro would occasionally allow to enter the pen and give Albert a pat – and sometimes even jump in the gator’s pool with him.

It was those visits that allegedly led the DEC to take action, alleging Cavallaro was “seriously endangering the public.”

Officials also cited him for keeping Albert without a permit since 2021 – but Cavallaro said he had one for years but was met with resistance when he tried to work with the DEC to renew it after animal ownership laws changed.

Cavallaro conceded that he allowed some people to pet and swim with Albert – there’s a photo of his own mother standing alongside the gator featured prominently on his Facebook – but he insists he never put anybody in harm’s way and vehemently denied officials’ claims that the animal is blind.

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“[Albert] loves company, and I guess I let my compassion get in the way of the law. But I have never endangered nobody,” Cavallaro said, adding that he didn’t let anybody near the gator who he didn’t know and trust.

Cavallaro, who described Albert as having a “huge personality” and enjoying cuddling, says everybody who encounters the gator knows he’s harmless.

“If you met him you’d love him … He just loves people. He loves everybody. Not to eat, but to be with,” he said. After the seizure, he said a friend told him, “You think I’d get the pool with an alligator that size if I didn’t know for a fact that he was gentle as can be?”

The Post has reached out to the DEC for comment.

The alligator lover said he’s overwhelmed by the love for Albert.

“I knew I was gonna get a lot of support, I knew that because everybody loves my alligator,” Cavallaro said, adding that he thinks the DEC is keeping Albert’s location quiet to keep demonstrators away.

“If they found out where he was there would probably be 20,000 people outside of there with protest signs, ‘Free albert! Free Albert!’”

He thinks those supporters will turn out in full force when he gets his day in court.

“It’s gonna be like the biggest peaceful protest you ever saw in the whole country,” he said.

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Cocaine worth £300m found on luxury yacht in Southampton

Two massive consignments of cocaine bound for Britain's streets have been seized in operations by the police and UK border agency.

The Home Office said the discovery of 1.2 tonnes of cocaine hidden aboard a pleasure cruiser at Southampton was a record haul in the United Kingdom.

In London, members of a smuggling ring were jailed over a separate conspiracy which saw a tonne of cocaine grabbed off the Spanish coast after an operation spearheaded by the Metropolitan police.

Scotland Yard believes the jailing is the final link in taking out virtually the entire international network, which involved drug dealers in London who bought a boat in Canada, then shipped the drugs from South America, through the Caribbean, on to Spain, and eventually into the UK.

But experts in drugs policy warned the massive seizures, while examples of good work by UK law enforcement, would make little difference to the price of cocaine or its availability on the streets.

The seizure of £300m worth of drugs from the pleasure cruiser at Southampton docks followed an international operation.

Once the vessel was seized it took six days of searching of the 65ft craft for investigators to find the cocaine.

Six people have been arrested. The drugs, with a 90% purity, are believed to have come from Venezuela.

Brodie Clark, head of the UKBA said: "It's a major seizure. It's about serious crime, it's about major criminal disruption."

At the end of the Scotland Yard case, two members of the British end of another drugs ring were sentenced for their part in a drugs network which was trying to smuggle one tonne of cocaine into the UK in December 2009 aboard a ship called the Destiny Empress.

The breakthrough came when police in London, investigating two seemingly mid-level drug dealers, raided a west London home, during which a detective noticed a piece of paper in their bin. It was a receipt for about £200,000 worth of work on a boat moored in Nova Scotia, Canada.

The boat was a former Canadian coastguard vessel which was being refurbished and converted to hide the drugs.

It was seized by the Spanish navy 200 miles off the Iberian coast.

Fourteen people have been convicted in Britain, and sentenced to a total of 79 years, and trials are still to take place in Spain.

Detective Inspector Steve Ellen said: "It's rare to take out the whole network."

He said some involved were "clean skins", with no record of involvement in drugs or criminality.

Harry Shapiro of the charity Drugscope said the massive seizures were unlikely to have had much effect on the ability of cocaine users to buy the class A drug. He said: "No one is reporting a cocaine drought.

"Everyone knows you can't stamp out drug use and stop drugs getting in, it's always going to be an exercise in damage limitation. The role of the authorities is to do whatever they can."

The Serious and Organised Crime Agency estimates that 25-30 tonnes of cocaine is smuggled into the UK every year, meaning the record seizure off the waters of Southampton represents 4% of the annual amount.The average price of a gramme of cocaine sold on the streets is £60 to £70, and one way dealers can compensate for a drop in supply is by cutting the purity.

A report from MPs on the home affairs committee in 2010 found that purity levels had dropped, meaning one gramme could contain just 5% pure cocaine.

Cocaine is the second most popular drug in the UK, with its use having trebled in the last decade.

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Revenue department busts international drug syndicate, four arrested

The directorate of revenue intelligence seized over 9 kg of cocaine worth rs 100 crore from them..

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• Four people were arrested for smuggling drugs
• DRI seized over 9 kg of cocaine worth Rs 100 crore from them
• DRI found they were part of internation drug smuggling syndicate

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has arrested four people in connection with drug smuggling and seized over 9 kg of cocaine worth Rs 100 crore from them.

The DRI apprehended two female passengers of Indonesian and Thai nationality, who had come from Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, from Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai, along with 9.83 kg of cocaine.

During inquiry, the women told the officials that they were taking the drugs to be delivered to a syndicate based in Delhi.

A team of officers from DRI Mumbai rushed to Delhi to capture the other members of the syndicate.

The officials laid a trap in Greater Noida with the help of local personnel and identified the mastermind. But, the mastermind got violent during the interception and he tried running away from the area by pushing the areas.

The officials chased and caught the Nigerian mastermind and his associate. The officials and the accused suffered mild injuries during the chase.

Both the gang members, along with the women, were arrested by the DRI under the provisions of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.

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