Dead Diver, Lost Cocaine, and the Australian Superyacht Scandal
30 October 2025 · 14 min · 96K views
What this video covers
In May 2022, a smuggling operation involving parasite-attached cocaine on a cargo ship resulted in a fatality and a major criminal investigation in Newcastle, Australia.0:33 James Blake Blee, a 64-year-old superyacht operator, facilitated the illegal entry of two Brazilian divers, Bruno Borges Martins and Joni Fernandez da Silva, to retrieve 108 kilograms of cocaine attached to the hull of the 34,000-tonne cargo vessel Areti.2:10 The divers used rebreather gear to avoid detection, but Martins died during the operation, likely due to equipment malfunction or carbon dioxide buildup.6:28 His body was discovered in the harbour with 54 kilograms of cocaine.6:38 Blee, who admitted to coordinating the logistics for $300,000, was arrested while attempting to flee to Singapore and later sentenced to 11 years in prison.7:44 Authorities note that "parasite smuggling"—attaching contraband to ship hulls using magnets—is a growing trend in global ports, as it is difficult to detect in murky water and requires minimal infrastructure.4:16
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