A 38-year-old Masig Island man was arrested and charged on 6 August for his alleged role in a plot to import 110 kilograms of cocaine through the Northern Peninsula Area in September 2024. Photo: Australian Federal Police.
A Masig Island man is the third to be charged over his alleged role in a plan to smuggle 110 kilograms of cocaine into Australia through the Northern Peninsula Area in September 2024.
Jamal Kris, 38, was arrested on 6 August and appeared in Cairns Magistrates Court via videolink from Thursday Island on 7 August charged with one count of possession of a commercial quantity of border-controlled drugs, contrary to section 307.5 of the Criminal Code Act 1995.
The maximum penalty for the offence is life imprisonment.
On 2 September 2024, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) charged Patterson Mosby and Eli Wapau, both 39, with the same offence after they were arrested in Seisia in possession of the cocaine – with a current street value of about $35.7 million – which police allege they collected from a small boat in the Torres Strait.
That day, police observed a yellow boat with three men on board land at Loyalty Beach, not far from Seisia.
Police allege they then observed one of the men disembark at the wharf and drive off in a white SUV before returning a short time later, when the three men then allegedly removed six polystyrene boxes from the vessel and loaded them into the vehicle.
Mr Mosby, from Masig Island, and Mr Wapu, from Moa Island, were arrested on the day, but it took police almost 12 months to identify Mr Kris, who they allege was the man seen leaving in the boat.
Detective Superintendent Adrian Telfer said the operation showed the tenacity of the AFP to chase down all leads to apprehend anyone suspected of being involved in the alleged importation of drugs.
“This operation yielded immediate results with the apprehension of two alleged offenders in September last year,” he said.
“The 38-year-old man arrested [on 6 August] was able to evade arrest in September, but I want to assure criminals the AFP and our partners are relentless in pursuing those who seek to profit from the import and sale of illegal drugs.
“This seizure last year was significant, with the 110kg seized worth an estimated $35.7 million on the street.”
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