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WorldCocaine haul sparks search for rescued Australians at sea

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Cocaine haul sparks search for rescued Australians at sea

Australian authorities have launched a search for three men they rescued from the sea two weeks ago after discovering a 365kg haul of cocaine.


On 1 February, the group was discovered clinging to an esky cool box off the coast of Western Australia.

They allegedly told police that their boat capsized while they were out fishing.

However, they now claim that the men were involved in a drug shipment from abroad and are pleading with them to come forward.

When the trio was first saved near Eclipse Island, 17 km south of Albany in Western Australia, authorities applauded them and said in a press release that their case “highlighted the importance of wearing a lifejacket and carrying an emergency beacon.”

But WA police soon found inconsistencies in the trio’s story and contacted the Australian Federal Police (AFP), who started an investigation.

Six days after the men were rescued, a black plastic-wrapped package containing parcels of cocaine was found on a beach 54km (33 miles) west of Albany.

And the next day an overturned cabin cruiser was discovered with eight similarly wrapped packages, each containing about 40kg of cocaine.

Police believe the drugs were collected from the ocean and ferried to shore in the boat. How the drugs were initially left in the ocean is not known.

Detectives have now asked the public to help locate Mate Stipinovich, 49, and Karl Whitburn, 45, from Perth, and 36-year-old Aristides Avlontis, who is thought to be in the Northern Territory.

One of the men is the registered owner of the capsized boat, police say.

AFP Acting Commander Graeme Marshall said the seizure of the drugs would deal a “significant blow” to a “well-resourced syndicate”.

“The AFP estimates this seizure has saved the community more than $235 million in drug-related harm, including associated crime, healthcare costs, and loss of productivity,” he said.

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