A JOINT operation involving the shipping industry, Australian Border Force, World Customs Organization and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime has led to the seizure of 98 tonnes of cocaine.
Operation “Tin Can” ran through November and December last year and targeted insider threats in the maritime supply chain.
Fifty-eight countries participated in the operation alongside major shipping lines affected by international drug trafficking.
It led to 43 arrests and more than 100 drug seizures, including 98,734 kilograms of cocaine and 314 kilograms of cannabis.
The ABF said trusted insiders working in the maritime supply chain can exploit their positions to support organised crime syndicates to traffic illegal drugs.
It said the insiders’ success depends on access to the location of a specific container, insider knowledge of the port environment and the ability to co-ordinate insider threats at both ends of the supply chain.
At one point in the operation, ABF officers in Colombia and Panama worked with Colombian authorities during the seizure of around 100 kilograms of cocaine from inside a shipping container.
Each block of cocaine was individually wrapped into one kilogram packages and hidden within the container’s structure.
A total of 815 kilograms of cocaine was also seized by Costa Rica’s Drug Control Police from a truck intending to enter the container terminal.
A further 25 kilograms of cocaine was located by police in Ecuador concealed in a container’s internal refrigeration and ventilation systems.
The ABF said organised crime syndicates have been turning to the “rip-on/rip-off” concealment method, which involves exploiting shipping containers to traffic illicit drugs around the world.
As cargo moves from the country of origin to the country of destination, insiders at each port (such as corrupt port workers) tamper with legal shipments, the ABF said.
ABF Commander Bjorn Roberts, of Operation Jardena, said contamination of container cargo has become the most frequently used concealment method for organised crime groups to move cocaine and other illicit drugs around the world.
“Tin Can was a hugely successful operation and showcased how law enforcement agencies across the world can work together – and work with industry – to combat the threat of organised crime,” Commander Roberts said.
“Almost 100 tonnes of cocaine was detected and it is highly likely some of that would have been destined for Australia, had it not been seized.”
“This method of drug trafficking is not possible without the active involvement of trusted insiders in the maritime supply chain.”
Commander Bjorn Roberts said the threat of the involvement of insiders is a major concern for law enforcement agencies around the world.
“The Australian border is one of our most critical national assets. The ABF, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue to make the border a hostile environment for criminals trying to import illicit drugs.”
The ABF said law enforcement agencies have now updated their cargo selection criteria and are targeting new trafficking trends that were observed during the operation.
