Australian police seize £136m worth of cocaine hidden in frozen fruit products

Australian Border Force released images of the shipment

A Sydney man is facing life in prison after Australian police intercepted cocaine worth A$248 million (£136 million) concealed in frozen fruit products from Brazil.

The Australian Federal Police and Border Force officers seized 552kg (1,214 pounds) of the drug hidden in pallets of banana pulp and branded with koala pictures in Sydney on Friday.

They also arrested a 68-year-old man at Forestville in the city’s northwest following a tip-off from American authorities about the suspect shipment, which arrived in Australia on September 21.

Police allege the man, Mark De Hesselle, collected 139 boxes of the pulp and removed the drugs.

He has been charged with attempting to import a commercial quantity of border-controlled drugs and possessing a commercial quantity of unlawfully imported border-controlled drugs.

Both offences carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

Banana pulp covering the cocaine

Credit: Australian Border Force

Police Detective Superintendent Geoffrey Turner said Covid-19 border restrictions had not prevented criminal groups trying a range of methods to bring illicit drugs into Australia.

"Organised crime groups and their associates are taking bigger risks and looking to move more illicit goods in bulk as a result of global lockdowns," he said on Saturday.

"They think choosing everyday items such as fruit would be innocuous enough to thwart law-enforcement detection."

Mr De Hesselle appeared before Sydney Central Local Court on Friday and has been remanded in custody. He will next face court on December 16.

Operation Stalwart began in September 2020 following information from US Homeland Security Investigations about a suspect shipment destined for Australia.

"The refrigerated container held close to 2,000 boxes of assorted fruit pulp. Further examination revealed approximately 275 boxes in the shipment contained banana pulp," Australian Border Force said.

"ABF officers identified anomalies within these boxes, with closer examination revealing a white substance secreted in the bags of banana pulp. Preliminary testing of the substance returned a positive result for cocaine.

"Australian Federal Police Crime Scene Investigators removed the cocaine from the banana pulp bags and reconstructed the shipment in preparation for a controlled delivery."