Additional charges have been laid against a man for his alleged involvement in the importation of more than $20 million worth of cocaine at the Port of Newcastle and the death of a diver.
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, 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.
Following extensive inquiries, strike force detectives and Australian Border Force officers attended a correctional facility at Grafton and arrested the 62-year-old man yesterday morning at about 11am.
He’s since been charged with manslaughter, two counts of people smuggling, and knowingly deal with proceeds of crime.
Police will allege the man engaged in unlawful activity which resulted in the death of Mr Martins and it will be further alleged the man illegally smuggled Mr Martins and an associate into Australia from Indonesia.
The man was remanded in custody and is next due to appear at Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday 5 October 2022.
A ship which had traveled to the Port of Newcastle from Argentina was searched from top to bottom before it left the country in a bid to find anymore cocaine or a clue as to who might’ve been responsible.
The Marshall Island-registered Areti had sailed to Newcastle carrying the huge load of cocaine that was unloaded at the Port and led to the death of Mr Martins.
Investigations under Strike Force Groove continue.