Coke haul prompts call for drug squad

THE massive haul of cocaine intercepted off the coast just south of the Queensland border has strengthened the argument for the Gold Coast to have its own targeted drug squad, a leading criminologist says.

Two men are accused of importing more than 600kg of cocaine in a sixto-eight-metre inflatable off Brunswick Heads on Tuesday.

The haul was equal to a fifth of all cocaine con- sumed in Australia each year, according to Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission’s National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program, which puts the country’s total cocaine consumption at three tonnes annually.

The Australian Federal Police said the seizure was worth more than $200 million, or the equivalent of three million hits on the street.

Three days later during the raid of a house in Oxenford, police found methylamphetamine, cocaine, amphetamine, suspected MDMA capsules, GHB and pharmaceuticals.

Bond University criminologist Dr Terry Goldsmith said the finds should have “alarm bells” ringing for authorities.

“If you’re getting 600kg (of illegal drugs) coming in off the coast, that’s another indicator there’s a high level of organised crime taking place,” he said.

“That, if anything, would aide the argument for a dedicated drug squad down here.

“I think some of those cartels and other crime groups have realised there’s a burgeoning market here for them to exploit.”

Dr Goldsmith said more resources should be put into targeting drug crime, rather than the new consorting laws brought in by the Labor Government.

“That’s why I don’t have much time for consorting laws. They talk about disrupting, well, disrupting what? People sitting at the clubhouse having beers?

“They’re not there planning 600kg importations.

“We’re wasting time on that stuff when we could be putting more resources into these types (of major drug busts), and executing even more of them. The more resources we put in the more of these operations will come off.”

Broadwater MP David Crisafulli called for more police officers on the ground, saying he’d leave it to the experts to comment on where resources were needed.

“We don’t have enough police for the population and crime statistics we have,” Mr Crisafulli said.