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The Coastal Passage was mystified by the
circumstances of a drug bust in Bundaberg
several months ago. Items that didn’t make
sense:
1: Whilst Customs employs the use of sniffer
dogs extensively, one cruiser TCP talked to
reported no dogs used on his boat nor others
that he knew of in the Port to Port event.
Reports to TCP say the yachts were all manually
searched and “a hundred times more thorough
than any other country we’ve entered since
leaving the US”, according to one skipper. In an informal discussion of yachties we worked
out how this could be done if yachts were
2: The Spanish smugglers were not only Not inclined to crime which is shown not to be the
furtive, but gregarious. Often seen riding about case. The consensus was: you would have to
the marina on skate
boards and joining in all
the festivities weeks
after arrival-confident.
3: The drugs were
apparently hidden in the
boat without being
sealed in by structure as
the couple were still in
News n Views
Customs CORRUPT?
AUSTRALIAN border security officials
are alleged to be helping organised
crime smuggle shipments of drugs
and guns into Australia
Background, speculation and reports:
By Bob Norson
the marina when they removed a suitcase full assume dogs would be used, therefore the drugs
and made contact with a money laundering would be dropped on the way into port and
operation that was under surveillance by the AFP retrieved later or in the case of a steel boat
and were stopped on the way out of Bundaberg (which this one was), it would be welded into a
in a car. sealed compartment below the waterline like the
keel or rudder. Any number of places could then
4: TCP did receive reports that the tip off was be used to careen or haulout to retrieve the
made from the AFP monitoring the money goods. We certainly wouldn't have invited
laundering suspects though later customs contacts to a marina crowed with liveaboard
claimed they were tracking the smugglers for yachties to pick up heavy suitcases full of drugs.
months. Cruisers in the regatta say the Spanish It was agreed that the actions of these
couple swapped boats in New Zealand but TCP smugglers were reckless beyond belief.
was not able to find this in official reports.
According to reports, the Australian forces According to a Sydney Morning Herald report of
weren’t even sure where the dope came from March 28, 2012 : ..the corruption watchdog has
but this report may provide an answer:
received more than 50 files on suspected
corruption involving Customs officials since early
From the New Zealand Herald May, 2012:
last year; Customs has suspended or sacked 15
Cruise ships are opening New Zealand's door to officers since 2010 over misconduct or
drug smugglers, with minimal Customs checks corruption allegations, including one with close
on people and luggage arriving by sea. ties to a Middle Eastern crime family in Sydney
Drug detector dogs spent just four hours
working on cruise ships in Auckland last year,
despite more than 200,000 passengers arriving
and an official caught snorting cocaine.
on 100 vessels. The sniffer dogs were used Nearly every day news reports another shooting
again when the P&O liner Aurora visited in in Sydney or the Gold Coast. Often with a Bikie
February but they failed to detect 30kg of gang connection suggested. Also suggesting
cocaine allegedly smuggled by UK citizen Ronald that the shootings are “turf wars” for drug
Fletcher. businesses. The volume and value of guns and
Last year's figures, released under the Official
Information Act, reveal there were no sniffer dog
merchandise must be staggering.
checks at Wellington and Christchurch ports. Again quoting the SMH ..the Australian
At least 80 cruise ships are expected to visit Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity....
Auckland this year. Customs Service has no power to scrutinise agencies suspected of
spokeswoman Helen Keyes said officers used "a harbouring corrupt officials. The government
standard border risk assessment process" when ha s re je ct ed a re co mm en da ti on by a
they checked the passports of cruise parliamentary committee to give the
passengers. "The Customs Service has deployed commission oversight of the quarantine
drug detector dogs when there has been inspection service.
determined a need to do so." She would not
identify which ships were checked last year, but And the government’s solution? The Home
said cruise ships were "generally rated as low Affairs Minister, Mr. Clare said he had recently
risk for drug smuggling". ordered a review of the commission's oversight
Green Party border security spokesman Steffan of Customs and had written to the heads of the
Browning said New Zealand would quickly Australian Crime Commission, the federal police
become a "soft touch" for drug smugglers. and Customs ''outlining my expectations of them
Customs has suspended or sacked 15 officers
since 2010 over misconduct or corruption
allegations, including one with close ties to a
Middle Eastern crime family in Sydney and an
official caught snorting cocaine.
in detecting, disrupting and preventing
corruption and seeking their advice about what
further action they believe is required to make
their organisations more corruption resistant''.
Well, that should about do it. Insist on the
organisation policing itself. That always
works.
Quoting from an ABC report: Opposition
Leader Tony Abbott says the Coalition
believes there should be a full independent
inquiry. "We called for a full inquiry in
Parliament the other week because we
certainly have been hearing there are
significant problems," he said. "The issue
we raised in Parliament of guns coming into the
country is one manifestation of the fact that
Customs doesn't seem to be as on the ball as it
should be."
TCP and contributors have made mention on
many occasions that Customs misdirects it’s
resources by being so hard on yachts. It turns
out that if Customs want to bust a doper,
they are better off looking at the desk next
to them.
DARWIN JUDGE THROWS OUT
CUSTOMS DEMANDS OF $4,000
FINE TO YACHTSMAN
It was reported in Northern Territory
News March, 2012 that a Judge
declined Customs demand for an
extra $4000 in costs on the skipper
Garth Curran of yacht Walk on the
Wild Side. Garth was already fined
$2-3,000 for not reporting within the
96hours.
The judge said this was a minor
infringement of the rules and was
quoted: “You are trying to crush
walnuts with a steam roller.”