A 27.5-metre motor yacht, named Bahama, has been seized by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Victoria Police in a major operation to take down an organised crime syndicate and drug trafficking ring.
A series of raids have seen more than $47 million in assets seized by law enforcement, including 60 residential properties across Victoria and New South Wales, five paintings by notable Australian artists and a "significant quantity" of jewellery and designer goods.
The 1981 motor yacht, which was valued at $800,000, once operated as a charter vessel out of Port Douglas in Queensland but is now impounded at Melbourne Pier following the seizure.
More than 50 people have been arrested in connection with the crime ring, as part of a two-year investigation by the AFP named Operation Fuji, and charged with a range of offences including drug trafficking, possession of firearms and money laundering. The investigation has also seen the confiscation of $2.2 million in cash, as well as 19kg of heroin, 81.5kg of methylamphetamine and 6.6kg of cocaine.
“This was a significant, lengthy and complex investigation that has substantially changed the organised crime landscape here in Victoria," said assistant commissioner Bob Hill of the Victoria Police Crime Command. “This was a syndicate that has brought immense harm to the community over many through their violent criminality and large-scale drug trafficking in particular.
“Money remains the lifeblood of organised crime and by severing the flow of finances and taking away material benefits such as properties and vehicles, it prevents re-investment in further criminality.”
The Victoria Police investigation, known as Operation Steelers, began in October 2020 and was primarily focused on crime syndicate’s access to firearms, large-scale drug importation and unexplained wealth, as well as threats to life.
The AFP’s Operation Fuji, which began in August 2021, saw the federal police investigate the syndicate’s criminal operations, including drug importations, and how they were planned and coordinated by syndicate leaders from jail.