A 36-year-old man has been charged with drug trafficking following a police operation in Devonport yesterday.

Officers from the Tasmania Joint Organised Crime Task Force (JOCTF) and Tasmania Police’s Western Drug & Firearms Unit intercepted a vehicle that was arriving into Tasmania aboard a commercial shipping vessel.

Five kilograms of cocaine were located in a subsequent search of the vehicle, concealed beneath the rear seats.

Detective Inspector Troy Morrisby said the 36-year-old man, who was linked to the vehicle, was arrested in Smithton shortly after.

“This man is a Tasmanian resident, who police will allege has connections with interstate and overseas criminal networks,” he said.

“By intercepting this attempt to import a significant amount of cocaine into Tasmania, police have disrupted what we allege is organised criminal activity, linked to interstate crime syndicates.”

“The Tasmania JOCTF is a multi-agency taskforce between Tasmania Police, the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Border Force and this result demonstrates the effectiveness of Tasmania Police working with our partner agencies.”

The man will appear in the Devonport Magistrates Court today.

Tasmania Police encourages anyone with information about drug trafficking to contact Crime Stoppers anonymously on 1800 333 000 or online at crimestopperstas.com.au.