The Royal Australian Navy last week joined police from two nations along with Customs officers in an operation off northern Australia which saw three people arrested and drugs and a cache of arms seized.

Naval officers based at Thursday Island used the high-speed long- range patrol launch MALU BAIZAM to insert specialist police into island search areas in the Torres Strait.

The operation concluded on Friday, December 4, with the announcement by the Australian Federal Police that as a result of a joint activities involving the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary, the Australian Customs Service, the Queensland Police and the Navy, a total of 8.75 kilograms of cannabis had been seized and three people arrested.

Well done…. MALU BAIZAM

In addition, a cache of five bolt action rifles had been found.

An AFP spokeswoman said police executed search warrants on a number of premises on Stephen and Campbell Islands and in the town of Daru in PNG. They found the rifles on Campbell Island.

A 33-year-old Papuan man and a 36-year-old Papuan woman were arrested in PNG. A man, 27, was held on Thursday Island. The man, from Stephen Island later appeared before Thursday Island Court charged with the indictable offence of conspiracy to import a quantity of cannabis into Australia. He was remanded to re-appear before the court.

The investigation and arrests involved resources of the AFP liaison officer in Port Moresby, the PNG police, Australian Customs, Queensland police and the ADF.

The Navy's valuable contribution came in the form of the 21 knot patrol launch MALU BAIZAM.