Two Men Get Three Years for Smuggling Drugs Inside Buses on a Ro/Ro

Two men have been sentenced to three years each for their roles in a plot to import nearly 140 kilos of cocaine into Australia, hidden inside a shipment of 13 luxury buses. At a street-level retail value of $200,000 per kilo on the Australian market, the value of the cocaine shipment likely exceeded the value of the motor coaches. 

In January 2024, Australian police intelligence identified an inbound shipment of cocaine hidden aboard a ro/ro bound for Adelaide. When the ship called at Fremantle, Western Australia, Australian Border Force officers boarded it and searched a consignment of 13 luxury buses on board. In four of the buses, they found packages of cocaine totaling 139 kilos. It was the second-largest bust ever for a shipment headed for South Australia. 

The police allowed the buses to stay on board the ro/ro and continue on to the destination port, Adelaide, under close monitoring. On February 3, after the vessel arrived and offloaded its vehicles, the two men broke into the buses at the port and retrieved the shipment of cocaine. 

Police followed them to a hotel in Adelaide, then arrested them. The two young men - now aged 20 and 23 - were charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of cocaine, an offense with maximum sentence of life in prison. They pleaded guilty late last year. 

On Wednesday, they were each sentenced to three years in prison, including at least 18 months without parole. 

The Australian Federal Police said the cocaine could have been divided up and sold as nearly 700,000 doses at retail level, generating about $30 million in revenue for dealers. 

"Organized crime groups are seeking to import illicit drugs into Australia on an industrial scale," ABF acting Superintendent Prue Otto said. "Drawn by the high street prices, criminals seek profits to fund lavish lifestyles and other criminal activities and the cost of this greed is paid by the Australian community."