A suspected support vessel and a fast craft linked to the detained cargo ship MV Wealth entered Noro Marina Wharf in the Western Province on 8 May and departed four days later without the knowledge or clearance of Solomon Islands Customs, Immigration or Police authorities, investigators have revealed.
And they said a Chinese national was left behind in Noro during the same period, adding another significant line of inquiry into what is now believed to be a sophisticated transnational organised crime investigation spanning several Pacific countries.
The Noro Marina Wharf is owned by Malaysian logging company Samlimsun, which also owns the nearby Marina Hotel. Comments are being sought from Samlimsun office in Honiara.
In-depth Solomons was told investigators are examining the movements of the vessels and individuals associated with the wharf as part of the ongoing investigation.
The developments have emerged as Solomon Islands authorities investigate possible links between MV Wealth and a major Australian drug trafficking investigation known as Operation Minjiang.
Operation Minjiang was a joint operation between the Australian Federal Police and Queensland police.
It was launched in late May after approximately 40 kilograms of cocaine was recovered from waters near a boat ramp at Midge Point in North Queensland by the Queensland Police Service.
A burnt-out flatbed truck fitted with a crane was later discovered on a nearby dock.
Australian investigators have alleged the cocaine formed part of a larger importation delivered ashore by two smaller boats launched from a larger vessel waiting offshore.
In a statement, Queensland police have publicly identified that alleged mother ship as MV Wealth, which is now being detained in Solomon Islands.
Six people, according to the AFP, have been already arrested under Operation Minjiang
Local police intercepted MV Wealth in Rennell and Bellona Province after receiving intelligence from the Australian Border Force, the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) and other regional law enforcement partners.
MV Wealth is a Belize-flagged general cargo vessel measuring approximately 98 metres in length. Police say the vessel is capable of carrying both containerised and bulk cargo.
“RSIPF Maritime had been monitoring the vessel since April after receiving intelligence indicating suspicious movements and activities consistent with organised criminal operations at sea,” police in Honiara said in a statement.
“Preliminary intelligence assessments suggest the vessel may have been involved in illicit tobacco smuggling, drug trafficking and other forms of maritime transnational crime,” the statement said.
“Authorities also suspect deliberate attempts to evade law enforcement detection, conceal operational activities and misrepresent the vessel’s intended voyage and cargo movements.”
Acting on the intelligence, officers aboard Patrol Boat GIZO, supported by members of the Police Response Department, Customs and Immigration, intercepted the vessel and escorted it safely to Honiara, where it remains under investigation.
Investigators are now focusing on the movements of the support vessel and fast craft that reportedly called at Noro Marina Wharf between 8 and 12 May without border clearance.
Authorities are seeking to determine whether those vessels were involved in transferring cargo, personnel or supplies linked to MV Wealth.
Investigators are also examining reports that a Chinese national remained in Solomon Islands after the vessels departed.
Police say 19 crew members were located aboard MV Wealth.
“They are believed to include nationals from China, Indonesia and the Philippines.
“Authorities say they have been unable to verify the identities and nationalities of every crew member because investigators were not provided with a complete and legitimate crew manifest.”
Investigators have also established that two support tender vessels associated with MV Wealth could not be located.
“Regional intelligence assessments indicate those tenders may have travelled onwards to destinations including Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, and potentially Australia, where authorities are continuing parallel investigations.
“The detention of MV Wealth highlights what authorities describe as an increasingly sophisticated pattern of organised criminal groups exploiting the vast maritime environment of the Pacific to facilitate illicit activities, including narcotics trafficking and tobacco smuggling,” police say.
They added the investigation demonstrates the importance of intelligence sharing and operational cooperation between Pacific law enforcement agencies and international partners.
The RSIPF, Customs and Immigration say they remain committed to protecting Solomon Islands’ maritime borders and disrupting transnational organised crime operating in the Blue Pacific.
