A second man has been charged as a part of investigations into a dead diver and more than $20 million worth of cocaine that washed up at Newcastle Port earlier this year.
Emergency services were called to the Port at about 9:30am on Monday 9 May this year after a male diver was located unresponsive in the water with 54 kilograms of cocaine nearby.
Despite the efforts of witness and paramedics, 31-year-old Brazilian Bruno Borges Martins could not be revived.
Newcastle Police District officers and the Marine Area Command established a crime scene, before the matter was referred to detectives from the State Crime Command’s Organised Crime Squad, who established Strike Force Groove to further investigate the incident assisted by officers from the Australian Federal Police, Australian Border Force, Northern Territory Police and Queensland Police Service since that time.
As a part of those inquiries a 62-year-old man was arrested in Queensland earlier this year, caught as he was about to board a plane out of the country to Singapore.
At the time, he was extradited from Cairns to NSW and charged with import commercial quantity of border-controlled drug and supply prohibited drug more than large commercial quantity. He remains before the courts on those charges.
The 62-year-old was hit with more charges in September including manslaughter, two counts of people smuggling, and knowingly deal with proceeds of crime. He remains before the courts.
Yesterday another arrest was made – a 20-year-old man attended Tweed Heads Police Station shortly before 3pm where he was arrested by strike force detectives.
He was charged with import commercial quantity of border controlled drug and supply prohibited drug more than large commercial quantity.
The Queensland man was refused bail to appear in court today. Investigations under Strike Force Groove continue.