Stryker001
Banned Member
As North Korea are a member of the axis of evil and via their links to attempt to smuggle contraban into Australia are conducting Narco Terrorism. Perhaps next time Australia may launch a pre-emptive strike on such vessels that invade Australia's waters.:sniper
Out of the Melbourne age
Fighter jets down Pong Su
March 23, 2006 - 1:44PM
The North Korean heroin smuggling ship Pong Su has been sunk off the NSW coast by a bomb dropped from an RAAF F-111 jet fighter.
The 3,500-tonne freighter, which was used to import 150kg of heroin into Australia, was sent to the bottom of the ocean 140km off the the NSW south coast in a military exercise this morning.
Australian Federal Police confirmed the ship was sunk after the RAAF completed safety checks and cleared the area.
The freighter was towed out of Sydney Harbour on Tuesday, where it had been berthed since it was seized three years ago after a four-day chase by Australian soldiers, federal police and customs officers.
The Pong Su was intercepted off the NSW Central Coast in April 2003 after dropping off a cargo of drugs on the coast of Victoria.
Earlier this month, four Pong Su officers accused of aiding and abetting the importation of heroin were acquitted and released.
However four other men involved in the operation earlier pleaded guilty and two have been jailed.
The Pong Su has been costing Australian taxpayers about $2,500 a day to maintain, while the taxpayer-funded defence of the four ship's officers has been estimated at up to $3 million.
AFP commander Frank Prendergast said the sinking of the ship showed the police's resolve to fight drugs.
"The AFP is committed to working with its partner agencies to disrupt organised importation or drugs and protect the community from the devastating effects of the illegal drug trade," he said in a statement.
AAP
Out of the Melbourne age
Fighter jets down Pong Su
March 23, 2006 - 1:44PM
The North Korean heroin smuggling ship Pong Su has been sunk off the NSW coast by a bomb dropped from an RAAF F-111 jet fighter.
The 3,500-tonne freighter, which was used to import 150kg of heroin into Australia, was sent to the bottom of the ocean 140km off the the NSW south coast in a military exercise this morning.
Australian Federal Police confirmed the ship was sunk after the RAAF completed safety checks and cleared the area.
The freighter was towed out of Sydney Harbour on Tuesday, where it had been berthed since it was seized three years ago after a four-day chase by Australian soldiers, federal police and customs officers.
The Pong Su was intercepted off the NSW Central Coast in April 2003 after dropping off a cargo of drugs on the coast of Victoria.
Earlier this month, four Pong Su officers accused of aiding and abetting the importation of heroin were acquitted and released.
However four other men involved in the operation earlier pleaded guilty and two have been jailed.
The Pong Su has been costing Australian taxpayers about $2,500 a day to maintain, while the taxpayer-funded defence of the four ship's officers has been estimated at up to $3 million.
AFP commander Frank Prendergast said the sinking of the ship showed the police's resolve to fight drugs.
"The AFP is committed to working with its partner agencies to disrupt organised importation or drugs and protect the community from the devastating effects of the illegal drug trade," he said in a statement.
AAP