Police make wild discovery under backyard spa after suspect's Uber Eats order
The suspect was arrested more than six weeks after being found floating on an esky off the Australian coast.
A wanted man has been found and dramatically arrested by police after authorities were reportedly notified of an Uber Eats order purchased under the suspect's name.
The 49-year-old man is the third person arrested in connection to an alleged attempted drug importation of over 300 kilograms of cocaine into Western Australia. After their boat capsized last month, the trio were left clinging to an esky, piquing the attention of police.
The men told police they were fishing when their boat capsized, however when a vessel was found partially submerged a week later with authorities alleging cocaine was found inside, investigators began what would become a six week manhunt.
The suspect was found in a "secret compartment" hidden under a spa in the backyard of a Byford property, with the man accompanied by a "loaded gun", federal police said in a statement. According to 9News, an Uber Eats order in his own name led authorities to his location.
Local residents were reportedly told to remain inside while heavily armed specialist operations Tactical Response Team completed the three-hour operation.
"We just heard a voice over from police saying stay inside your house," one witness told 9News.
"We weren't sure what was going on and we checked the cameras and there was three guys in our backyard."
Men charged with importing border controlled drug
Police confirmed all three men have been charged in relation to their alleged attempt to import a "commercial quantity" of cocaine over the border, with the maximum penalty for the offence being life imprisonment.
It is still unknown how and where the men got possession of the illegal drugs in the ocean, however police are continuing to investigate with Australian Federal Police Sergeant Kristen Swan saying authorities would continue to search for answers.
“Our investigation has not ended with the charging of these three men, we continue to work with our partners to track down anyone involved in this importation,” she said.
“The seizure of more than 300kg of cocaine prevented millions of dollars of drug profit from flowing back into a transnational criminal syndicate to fund another illegal venture or lavish lifestyles."
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