erice 732 Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 In December, Mark "The Shark" Quartiano, a celebrity Miami fisherman, found a kilogram brick of cocaine. He promptly alerted the authorities. Breeding did not. He instead handed over the 20kg haul to four other people, on the condition they would sell the cocaine and pay a cut to Breeding. All five were caught in the summer Breeding may be punished with up to life imprisonment and a fine in the millions of dollars. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11790545 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
erice 732 Posted February 6, 2017 Author Share Posted February 6, 2017 Big cocaine bust off NSW coast; NZ boat owner arrested and charged Authorities seized 1.4 tonnes of the drug on a New Zealand yacht as it approached the state’s south coast. The drugs have a street value of $312 million — equivalent to 1.4 million hits to users. arresting a 63-year-old New Zealand national and a joint Swiss-Fiji citizen, 54, who were on board. the plan was foiled by the two-and-a-half year investigation by the AFP, Australian Border Force, Navy and New Zealand Customs known as “Operation Armour”. The investigation began after a tip from New Zealand authorities in August 2014. Read more at http://www.mysailing.com.au/latest/kiwi-yacht-seized-on-nsw-south-coast-in-major-drug-bust#GJAkQ2tXU5dEoxyj.99 Customs' deputy comptroller operations Bill Perry said the seizure took place in the early hours of Friday morning, about 300km off the coast of Sydney. A New Zealand man in his 60s owned the 50ft boat, which was moored in Tauranga. He has been arrested and charged in relation to the matter. The Elakha left New Zealand in early January, sailing to the Pacific to meet the mothership. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11795429 Police do not want to discuss the “mother ship” or its origins while their investigations continue but said the men in the group knew each other “for decades”. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Black Panther 1,592 Posted February 6, 2017 Share Posted February 6, 2017 We spent a lot of time on that boat with the old owners, they sailed it out from Canada Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jonathan 4 Posted February 6, 2017 Share Posted February 6, 2017 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11795569 catch of the day Quote Link to post Share on other sites
erice 732 Posted February 6, 2017 Author Share Posted February 6, 2017 Early on Friday, New Zealand time, the Australian patrol boat HMAS Bathurst intercepted the Elakha 370km east of Sydney and arrested Thompson, 63, and Fries, 54. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
erice 732 Posted February 6, 2017 Author Share Posted February 6, 2017 more + more http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/89134335/wife-defends-yachtsman-arrested-over-14-tonne-cocaine-bust Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wheels 543 Posted February 6, 2017 Share Posted February 6, 2017 We spent a lot of time on that boat with the old owners, they sailed it out from Canada I was thinking, hmmm, I wonder how many of Crew know these guys and the Boat. The two guys are both very experienced and the Swiss guy owns a well known Yacht Charter business in Fiji. Both have done many delivery trips. The Police have been watching the "Boat" and who have been visiting for nearly 3 yrs and building a case. I have to say,(for a change) well done Police, or that Police Officer that had a suspicion those 3yrs ago. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
erice 732 Posted February 6, 2017 Author Share Posted February 6, 2017 going to very interesting the next few years as the full story unfolds hard to imagine that at $315?million this was their first drug haul if these guys have known each other for decades you'd imagine this has been slowly ramping up over time and the mother ship... any north korean freighters mid south pacific at the moment? the pacific becoming a well used route The ship, which weighs 4,893 tons, was carrying palm oil from Malaysia, and according to a source at customs, included 22 crewmembers that included a captain, who were "all North Koreans," according to the Manila Bulletin. Customs officials failed to find banned items, including firearms or equipment that could go toward the manufacturing of weapons of mass destruction. The ship was registered as belonging to Tuvalu, an independent nation in the South Pacific http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2016/03/15/Philippines-seize-second-North-Korea-operated-ship/2611458059392/ In 1993, his life changed forever when he got involved with some old Tongan school friends who'd become cocaine traffickers in Hawaii. http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/south-pacific/85643664/Corruption-in-Paradise-From-the-Rugby-World-Cup-to-cocaine-smuggling-to-life-as-a-hermit and the swiss guy's wife, claiming his innocence what did he think the secrecy about picking up, carrying and delivering the huge bales was? dodging gst on cornstarch? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Island Time 1,240 Posted February 6, 2017 Share Posted February 6, 2017 Early on Friday, New Zealand time, the Australian patrol boat HMAS Bathurst intercepted the Elakha 370km east of Sydney and arrested Thompson, 63, and Fries, 54. Not that I condone this in any way, but I was surprised that the Ausy authorities had arrested the crew of a non Australian yacht in international waters. It is my understanding that they have no authority there, unless NZ authorities allowed them to do so (The Yacht was Kiwi Registered). I guess that must be the case, or there is already a major flaw in the path to conviction..... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
erice 732 Posted February 6, 2017 Author Share Posted February 6, 2017 they needed nz police permission which they got Under international law, a vessel in international waters is subject to only the exclusive jurisdiction of its flag state. However, this rule is subject to certain exceptions dealing with stateless vessels and certain international crimes.2 9 In the case of vessels subject to foreign jurisdiction, the consent of the flag state 30 is required for interdictions carried out by coastal states in international waters, exclusive economic zones, and contiguous zones.31 http://repository.law.miami.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1047&context=umiclr Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jonathan 4 Posted February 7, 2017 Share Posted February 7, 2017 Watch the video, hard to see how any of them could not know what was onboard, secondly they where probably tracked to the drop point then intercepted soon after that pickup.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vorpal Blade 89 Posted February 7, 2017 Share Posted February 7, 2017 Very similar to another instance of "importing" by a guy called "Sir Thomas Lipton Fry" - His actual name as changed by deed poll. He bought a friend of mines boat and as it turned out was planning to do this same thing but got caught/arrested. When I met him on the boat during the owners handover I thought its was a bit odd that Mr Fry showed me plans for a boat he was going to have built - a 150ft super yacht which left me wondering how someone from a small rural town south of Taupo have the necessary $$ for such a project . It seemed the refit to make enough space for all of the extra "cargo" went on much much longer than planned, they ditched the refit idea and had to resort to using a charter yacht to keep to the schedule. It was extensively reported by the NZ Herald and the TV news at the time. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
erice 732 Posted February 7, 2017 Author Share Posted February 7, 2017 here it is from 2002 very similar The 500kg of cocaine - with an estimated street value of $327 million - was shipped from Colombia in late 1999 and intercepted in New South Wales in February 2000. The Australian Customs service tracked the yacht Ngaire Wha from New Zealand. A boat had sailed from Colombia and met the Ngaire Wha near the Bay of Islands, where it offloaded the 21 bales of cocaine. Thompson, fellow New Zealander "Sir" Thomas Graham Fry and another man were aboard the yacht when police pounced after tracking it with an aircraft and high-speed boat. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=1392004 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wheels 543 Posted February 7, 2017 Share Posted February 7, 2017 So what am I missing here.1.4Tonnes = $312 million today and500Kg = $327 million back 2000 Is Cocaine dramatically lower in street value today than it was back in 2000? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
erice 732 Posted February 7, 2017 Author Share Posted February 7, 2017 drug prices are all over the place depending on supply and if the value quoted is; wholesaler, retailer, 1st cut, 2nd cut etc. nz + oz have apparently have cocaine street prices 5x? higher than the usa Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Black Panther 1,592 Posted February 7, 2017 Share Posted February 7, 2017 You seem troublingly well informed. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
southernman 73 Posted February 7, 2017 Share Posted February 7, 2017 I knew of a Peterson 44 that arrive in NZ years back that got to NZ, straight out of the water in Auckland and someone took to the hull with a chainsaw in one area to remove what was thought to be Cocaine. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wheels 543 Posted February 7, 2017 Share Posted February 7, 2017 We have many "tales" of years back of Boats arriving in the Sounds to unload something and then go on to a Port of Clearance. It would be so easy to do here. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jonathan 4 Posted February 7, 2017 Share Posted February 7, 2017 There is way more surveillance going on in NZ then you are probably aware. These guys had a long history of drug running, idiots. That street value is often some school kids clothes, food, rent payment. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
erice 732 Posted February 7, 2017 Author Share Posted February 7, 2017 You seem troublingly well informed. Police said the 720 litres of methylamphetamine uncovered could have been used to make 504 kilos of ice with a street value of $1.26 billion — working out at $2.5 million per kilo. However, last month the AFP valued 159 kilograms of ice at $106.5 million, or approximately $666,000 per kilo. The AFP's NSW Commander Chris Sheehan was asked about the discrepancy by the ABC during a press conference. "In terms of the computation of values, there are a number of different ways they can be calculated. Criminologist and former policeman Dr Terry Goldsworthy said he would like to see police be more open about their drug valuation methodology. "It needs to be consistent. It's always good for a headline to say 'we've got over a billion dollars worth of drugs' but there needs to be some realistic methodology behind that and they should probably make that methodology known," Dr Goldsworthy said. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-15/afp-admits-upper-range-figures-used-to-pump-up-ice-bust-claims/7169990 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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