The AFP has charged six crew members of a merchant vessel following a joint investigation into a sophisticated organised crime syndicate which allegedly imported one tonne of cocaine into Australia.
It will be alleged the men from Honduras and Ecuador operated a specially modified 40m vessel found to contain three professionally built and installed smuggling hides.
Police will allege these hides were constructed in Central America for the sole purpose of hiding illicit goods in case maritime or law enforcement officials checked the vessel while at sea.
An investigation into the vessel began in January 2026, after French authorities intercepted the ship in international waters.
During this interception, the French Navy located, seized and disposed of 4.8 tonnes of cocaine before the ship - the MV Raider - and its crew were released in accordance with the laws of French Polynesia.
Police suspected an Australian-based crew operating on behalf of a larger criminal syndicate was looking to rendezvous with the MV Raider to conduct an at-sea transfer within Australia's Economic Exclusion Zone.
Australian Border Force officers, with the support of the NSW Police Marine Area Command, met the MV Raider 180nm off the NSW coast in late February.
The ship's crew were interviewed in relation to their intentions and discussed their rights to enter Australia, before they were advised they would not be permitted entry into an Australian port.
On 12 March, 2026, the MV Raider placed a distress call to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.
The vessel was escorted into Sydney Harbour on 13 March, 2026, by NSW Police after the crew reported mechanical issues and they had run low on critical supplies.
The crew of the vessel was detained by ABF officials as unlawful maritime arrivals and transported to Villawood Immigration Detention Centre.
A subsequent examination of the crew's electronic devices by the ABF allegedly found evidence consistent with the allegation the MV Raider had further drugs on board.
AFP investigators, with the assistance of ABF Maritime Operations NSW, executed a search warrant on the ship while it was anchored in Snails Bay, in Sydney Harbour on 25 March, 2026.
During the warrant, the AFP seized a number of documents as well as a range of electronic devices allegedly used by the crew to coordinate the distribute of cocaine within Australian waters.
The AFP also seized a satellite phone which was allegedly used by senior members of the MV Raiders crew to communicate with the syndicate's bosses based offshore.
During the comprehensive search of the vessel, officers located what will be alleged are three professionally installed smuggler hides suspected of previously containing up to six tonnes of cocaine.
A search warrant was also executed on the ship's crew at Villawood Immigration Detention Centre where a number of items of clothing were seized for forensic examination.
It will be alleged further evidence seized linked six members of the ship's crew to at least one drop-off of drugs within Australia's territorial waters.
On Saturday 28 March, 2026, AFP officers arrested and charged:
A 26-year-old Honduran man
A 63-year-old Honduran man
A 31-year-old Honduran man
A 36-year-old Honduran man
A 61-year-old Honduran man
A 43-year-old Ecuadorian man
The group was charged with conspiracy to import a commercial quantity of border-controlled drugs, contrary to section 307.1 (by virtue of section 11.1) of the Criminal Code (Cth). The maximum penalty for this offence is life imprisonment.
The men are expected to appear before the NSW Bail Division Courts today (30 March, 2026).
Inquiries into this matter remain ongoing.
AFP Commander Brett James said the AFP was alert to organised criminal syndicates attempting to import drugs into Australia in custom built motherships.
"We know that criminals go to extreme lengths, and often risk their own lives, to smuggle drugs into Australia with no regard to the harm they cause," Commander James said.
"Multiple people have been rescued from the ocean in recent years after hitting trouble while allegedly trying to collect cocaine consignments.
"Investigations into the origin of the drugs and who has collected them remain ongoing, and we will work with our international and domestic law enforcement partners to identify the criminal syndicates - and anyone else - involved in facilitating this alleged cocaine import.
"These arrests highlight the strengths of our partnerships both in Australia and offshore to disrupt the illicit drug trade.
ABF Commander Rose Cracknell said the ABF continues to make our international border a hostile environment for any criminal syndicate to do their business.
"Our intelligence sharing with partner agencies across the globe is exceptional, this coupled with the ABF Maritime Operations teams' intricate knowledge of complex vessel concealments resulted in further evidence coming to light," Commander Cracknell said.
"The ABF's digital device examinations allegedly uncovered further criminality, which will be tested and put before the courts.
"We know that criminal groups will try to use Australia's vast coastline to attempt to breach our borders, but criminals should always assume we are watching and ready to take action."
Superintendent Joseph McNulty, Commander of the NSW Police Marine Area Command, said law enforcement cooperation was key to combating the threats posed by transnational crime.
"Working collaboratively with the Australian Federal Police and Australian Border Force, NSW Police Marine Area Command plays a critical role in deterring, disrupting and intercepting suspicious vessels.
"The successful arrests demonstrate the capability of law enforcement agencies to disrupt serious and transnational crime and maintain the integrity of Australia's maritime borders."
