A Filipino national is the first person to be sentenced for the importation of 416kg of cocaine into South Australia - the largest seizure of the illicit drug in the state's history.
The man, 48, was sentenced today (18 September, 2025) in the District Court of South Australia, to 17 years' imprisonment. He will serve a non-parole period of nine years and six months.
An AFP-led investigation began in 2022 after the Australian Border Force (ABF) searched a merchant vessel in Port Adelaide. During the search, ABF officers located evidence suggesting the vessel may have dropped a significant quantity of drugs at sea and shared this intelligence with AFP.
A multi-jurisdictional operation was launched under Operation Lithgow, which brought together officers from the AFP, ABF, South Australia Police (SAPOL), Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) and the Department of Home Affairs.
In March 2022, authorities recovered the record-breaking haul off the coast of the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia. The estimated value of the cocaine at the time was more than $166 million.
Two Filipino nationals - who were crew members on a bulk carrier - were linked to the importation and charged with one count of importing a commercial quantity of border-controlled drugs, namely cocaine, contrary to section 307.(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth).
One of the men, 45, pleaded guilty in April, 2025. He is scheduled to be sentenced in the District Court of South Australia in December, 2025. The second man, 48, who was sentenced today, pleaded guilty in May, 2025.
AFP Detective Superintendent Melinda Adam said the AFP's strong collaboration with national and international law enforcement partners played a critical role in disrupting the ability of criminal networks to flood Australia with illicit drugs like cocaine
"The AFP and its partners across the globe remain committed to targeting, identifying and dismantling transnational serious organised crime groups," Det Supt Adam said.
"Transnational criminal syndicates will go to any extreme in their attempts to import harmful illicit substances into our country. We are here to remind them that they will be stopped, and they will be prosecuted.
"Cocaine is highly addictive and places significant pressure on the Australian healthcare system. Across Australia there were 1800 cocaine related hospitalisations in 2020-21 - almost five every day on average.
"By helping to stop illicit drugs from reaching our shores, we are also helping to keep our communities safe."
ABF acting Superintendent Prue Otto said this sentencing is a clear example of how border screening by ABF officers is a critical tool to disrupt criminal activities in Australia.
"Our officers are trained to recognise any indication that a person or vessel may be involved in criminal activity, and to act swiftly on those suspicions," a/Supt Otto said.
"When officers uncovered the risks posed by this bulk carrier, ABF conducted extensive land, marine and air patrols for four days across the South Australian coastline to locate and retrieve more than 400kg cocaine dropped at sea.
"I am very proud of the hard work of all officers involved to intercept the largest cocaine seizure in South Australia's history and disrupt a criminal network's operations.
"The operation demonstrates how intelligence-based targeting, officer intuition and strong collaboration with our partner agencies in law enforcement can stop international crime syndicates bringing harm to Australia."
Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission Executive Director Jen Hurst highlighted the importance of joint operations in disrupting serious and organised crime in Australia.
"The ACIC's criminal intelligence insights build awareness and influence strategies to harden the environment and create new opportunities to combat serious criminal threats, as demonstrated through the success of Operation Lithgow."
