Australian police hunting men rescued at sea after cocaine found in capsized boat

The men were found clinging to an esky (type of portable cooler) in the sea near Albany in Western Australia on February 1, later telling authorities that they were fishing when their boat toppled over.

They were praised by the Australian Maritime Safety authority (AMSA) at the time for using their Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB).

Six days later, a plastic-wrapped package of cocaine washed up near the town of Denmark while a seven-metre boat was found overturned off the nearby Peaceful Bay the following day.

Following a search of the vessel, a further eight packages each containing around 40kg of cocaine were uncovered, the Australian Federal Police said on Tuesday.

Police believe the drugs were collected from the ocean and loaded on to the boat. However, they are still investigating how and where the packages were dropped in the water.

Detectives are now on the hunt for Perth men Mate Stipinovich (49) and Karl Whitburn (45), as well as Aristides Avlontis (36), who is believed to be in the Northern Territory.

Australian Federal Police acting commander Graeme Marshall urged the trio to contact police, believing the men may be able to help them with their investigation.

“We are also appealing for anyone else to call us if they have information to help us find the men, or know anything about this drug importation,” Mr Marshall said.

“The interception of this amount of drugs would be a significant blow to a well-resourced syndicate, and prevents millions of dollars of drug profit from flowing back into the group to fund their next criminal venture or lavish lifestyles.

“The AFP estimates this seizure has saved the community more than $235m in drug-related harm, including associated crime, healthcare and loss of productivity.”