A JET SKI rider has filmed himself pulling a brick of cocaine from the water amid a huge investigation into why 250 kilograms of the drug has now washed up along the NSW coast.
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The man - who appears in the footage to be on a Surf Life Saving NSW vessel - said he found the brown package "between the heads" at Bondi.
It's just one of the bricks that have been retrieved in the past month, with some packages washing up in the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie areas.
In the Bondi footage circulating on social media and first published by the Sydney Morning Herald on Tuesday, the parcel looks to have the word Zoe printed on it.
"I've just found this little package - looks like cocaine so just about to hand that over to the police," the jet ski operator says.
"Probably about 100,000; 200,000 bucks in that little package there.
"So Zoe, you're going to miss out on your Christmas present."
The State Crime Command is continuing its investigation into a number of packages, believed to contain cocaine, washing up on NSW beaches.
The first parcels were plucked from beaches between Sydney and Newcastle in December, but the focus area has now been expanded to include the Mid North Coast, Wollongong and the South Coast after more discoveries.
"In total, approximately 253 kilograms have been located since Friday, 22 December 2023," a NSW Police spokesperson said.
Detectives are working with local officers and specialist resources like PolAir and water police, backed by Australian Border Force and Surf Life Saving NSW, to seize any outstanding packages.
Investigations into the mysterious origin of the drugs are continuing.
"The public are reminded to report any suspicious package to authorities," the NSW Police spokesperson said.
The Newcastle Ocean Baths haul alone could have had a street value worth more than $11 million.
Police were first called to Magenta on the state's Central Coast on December 22 after a member of the public found a barnacle-covered item washed up on the beach.
It was seized for testing and police allege it contained 39 sealed packs of cocaine, weighing about one kilogram each.
Police believe the cocaine bricks could continue to wash up along the east coast for months.
Newcastle is no stranger to massive drug busts, with multiple people charged in recent years with importing drugs - or trying to - into Australia via sea.
Anyone with information should contact police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
People should not remove or open the packages if they are found.
Police and crime reporter at the Newcastle Herald. Email: afalkenmire@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Police and crime reporter at the Newcastle Herald. Email: afalkenmire@austcommunitymedia.com.au
