Australia: Cocaine smuggler jailed for 12.5 years after jukebox trafficking sting

When a 290-kilogram jukebox was flown from Greece to Melbourne, those waiting to collect the consignment couldn’t wait to open it.

It wasn’t music they were interested in, though. Packed inside the machine were 45 white packets containing cocaine, with a street value of $20 million.

The delivery was made to Melbourne men Ertgrei Gjeka and Vaios Gkourmis on June 14, 2022.

Once the pair opened it, they became suspicious that the cocaine, which was meant to be 80 per cent pure, had been substituted for something else.

“It is hard like cement,” Gjeka was recorded saying on an intercepted telephone call.

“I’ve never seen gear that’s hard to break like that.”

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https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-02/cocaine-jukebox-smuggler-jailed/104176314