Plastic-Wrapped Packages Suspected to Hold Cocaine Wash Ashore Sydney Beaches
Five packages, each wrapped in plastic and believed to contain cocaine, were discovered by beachgoers at Freshwater and Curl Curl beaches in Sydney on Monday. With a total weight of 5kg, these parcels were promptly seized by police, adding to a perplexing drug-related puzzle that has unfolded over several months.
This latest find contributes to a string of discoveries since December, constituting what authorities believe to be part of a significant cocaine shipment. Australians have been the highest per capita consumers of cocaine globally, closely followed by Britain, as reported by the OECD.
NSW Police issued a statement on Tuesday urging the public to report any suspicious packages as investigations persist into this ongoing phenomenon. Since the initial spotting of a package on the Central Coast just days before Christmas, over 250kg of cocaine has been recovered along the New South Wales coastline.
These packages, varying in size but some weighing as much as 39kg, have been found strewn across more than ten beaches spanning a 500km stretch of coast. Instances of beachgoers encountering these parcels have been documented, including a lifeguard rescuing one from the waves at Bondi on New Year’s Day and another discovered on Valla Beach in March.
The origins of these cocaine packages remain murky. In January, NSW Police speculated that the drugs likely originated in South America and were transported to Australia via cargo ship. State Crime Command director Jason Weinstein suggested the possibility of intentional disposal into the ocean for retrieval by another vessel.
Detectives analyzing barnacle coverage on some of the recovered bricks estimate that the packages had been submerged for no more than six weeks prior to discovery.
The prevalence of drug consumption in Australia is evidenced by statistics from the national law enforcement agency, which reported a 17% increase in usage of methamphetamines, cocaine, heroin, and MDMA in the year ending August 2023, amounting to 16.5 tonnes.