The AFP has charged a Sydney man for allegedly travelling to a town in the Gold Coast hinterland to possess 140kg of cocaine hidden inside two marine engines.
The matter was heard before Southport Magistrates Court yesterday (21 July, 2025).
Investigations began in October, 2024, when Australian Border Force (ABF) officers in Brisbane detected a large quantity of plastic-wrapped blocks inside two wooden-crated marine engines. The engines, each weighing about 4.5 tonnes, arrived from the United States.
Testing of the blocks indicated a positive result for cocaine. AFP officers removed the cocaine, replaced it with an inert substance, and inserted the new blocks back inside the engines.
The consignment was delivered to an address in Mount Nathan, near the Gold Coast, on 14 November, 2024, before being transported to a property in Wongawallan.
On the evening of 15 November, 2024, the Sydney man travelled to the Gold Coast. It will be alleged he went to the Wongawallan premises along with a Gold Coast man.
Police allege both men retrieved blocks of inert substance from inside one marine engine, believing the blocks to be cocaine.
On 17 November, 2024, the AFP executed search warrants in Burleigh Heads, Mount Nathan and Wongawallan.
Police located two wooden crates and the two large marine engines at the property in Wongawallan, as well as a forklift, which was allegedly hired by the Gold Coast man to move the crates. Mobile phones and power tools were among the items seized from the properties.
The Sydney man, 44, was charged with one count of attempting to possess a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported border-controlled drug, contrary to sub-section 11.1(1) and 307.5(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth).
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. He is the second person charged under Operation Isengard.
AFP Detective Superintendent Adrian Telfer said drug trafficking can lead to a range of societal issues and had fuelled violence which spilled into communities.
"Criminals are motivated by greed and are indifferent to the harm their actions cause. This amount of cocaine could have equated to about 700,000 street level deals," Det-Supt Telfer said.
"The AFP and its law enforcement partners are committed to disrupting and dismantling criminal operations which look to bring harm to our people and communities.
"We share intelligence every day to combat organised crime and ensure they do not reap the rewards of their illegal activity."
ABF Commander Troy Sokoloff said the Australian public could be assured that the ABF remained resolute in protecting the community from the harm caused by the trafficking of illicit drugs.
"The detection and subsequent arrests are the direct result of the vigilance and expertise of the ABF and AFP, who work together every day to stop dangerous drugs, such as cocaine, from entering our country," Commander Sokoloff said.
"The officers of the Australian Border Force are the first line of defence to protect our nation's borders. Every detection made goes one step further in protecting the community."
