And so it was in early December, when the Kaiyo Maru No.8 was detected hundreds of kilometres south of Port Fairy.

It was not whales being hunted, however. It was the boat.

More specifically, it was the 186 kilograms of cocaine worth $60 million on board, and the Melbourne organised crime syndicate which was allegedly behind its importation.

Organised, as it happened, may not have been the best descriptor.

By the time the hunt had finished, it was difficult to understand how such a bumbling gang had allegedly masterminded the importation of such a significant amount of cocaine - one of the largest hauls ever linked to Victoria.

Authorities monitored the syndicate for about a year, but had no idea about the alleged cocaine scheme until late November.

Police say the syndicate planned to sail a smaller boat and meet the Kaiyo Maru, a former whaling vessel, just outside Australian waters, in the first week of December.

The organised crime syndicate was then befallen by bizarre disorganisation, police claim.

Firstly, a boat fell from a trailer on the drive from Melbourne to Port Fairy. The syndicate allegedly decided to press on and buy a replacement boat in cash from a local fisherman.

On December 6, the syndicate allegedly tried again to pick up the cocaine using their new boat.

But they ran aground on Griffiths Island, less than 100 metres from the Port Fairy lighthouse, police said.

A lifejacket and a lifeboat were found on a nearby beach, but the crew were nowhere to be seen. The next morning, on December 7, the boat was the talk of the town.

It was a comical sight, particularly on low tide, when it was possible to walk out and touch it.

It appeared as if the boat had been sailed towards the lighthouse, rather than away from it.

Police allege this shipwreck, which occurred on the appropriately named Shipwreck Coast, marked the syndicate’s final attempt at collecting the cocaine.

Meanwhile, the crew of nine Chinese men and a Singaporean man onboard the Kaiyo Maru were enduring horrific weather and parlous conditions on the dilapidated ship.

They were waiting for a boat that never came.

On December 12, police raided the Kaiyo Maru. The crew had sailed hundreds of kilometres south-east from the rendezvous point after the syndicate allegedly failed to show.

A few days later, when the Kaiyo Maru raid was made public, perhaps the Melbourne syndicate considered themselves fortunate.

Maybe all those strange happenstances on the high seas were a blessing in disguise; it was meant to be.

But their luck ran out on Wednesday - five weeks later - when police busted down doors in Melbourne and Queensland and hauled out the alleged syndicate members.

It may not seem like it now, but investigators believe the alleged drug importers still have reason to feel fortunate.

Because if they made it further than the Port Fairy lighthouse, it was possible they would not have survived the treacherous seas between them and the meeting point.

Police were prepared at any time for the drug investigation and monitoring of the syndicate to become a rescue mission.

When it became clear the star-crossed syndicate had given up on meeting the Kaiyo Maru, they had another dilemma: when to finish the hunt and arrest them.

There were several factors.

The Kaiyo Maru had been zigzagging around the meet point for about a week.

But, on about December 8, it started moving further south.

It went down the west coast of Tasmania, and then towards New Zealand, all the while avoiding waters within the Australian Exclusive Economic Zone.

Had the crew ventured inside this boundary, it would have been easier for authorities to intercept them. It is suspected the crew were aware of this fact and deliberately avoided these waters accordingly.

Regardless, approval was granted for authorities to move on the boat.

The amphibious assault ship HMAS Adelaide intercepted the Maru about 1300 kilometres south-east of Tasmania.

At this point, authorities were still not entirely clear what would be on board, but suspected it would be drugs, and a significant enough haul to warrant the alleged repeated efforts of an organised crime syndicate.

Sure enough, there were about 180 bundles of South American cocaine, each weighing about a kilogram and loaded into nine hessian sacks, piled in amongst other detritus in a storage room on the 50 metre ship.

But there were other unknowns, including some that would still not become clear, even after the boat was raided.

This includes the origin of the Kaiyo, which was last registered to a Japanese whaler, and where it was launched from.

It is possible the crew, aged 23 to 50, were operating a roaming international “mother ship”.

The crew may have been informed about exchanges between drug importers and exporters, and the planned meeting points, and then waited for smaller boats to come to them. After the drop, they are paid a cut, and wait to hear about the next job.

These types of drug importations - rather than those which require a larger ship to dock in Australia, with drugs hidden in a shipment of legitimate goods - are becoming increasingly common.

The Kaiyo Maru was first detected when officials onboard a RAAF Maritime Patrol aircraft, flying under the direction of Border Force, spotted it off the north-west coast of Western Australia during a routine aerial patrol.

It was tracked across the Great Australian Bight to its meeting point, almost directly due south of Port Fairy, before the crew left on December 8.

It is suspected they were making for South America when they were intercepted on December 12.

Because of modifications to the boat, including the installation of extra fuel tanks, it was possible the crew could have avoided docking, and the difficult questions which come with it, for many months.

The exact country of origin of the drugs, and who brokered the deal with the syndicate, it still being investigated.

The crew and syndicate members have each been charged with attempting to import a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug. They face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

Alleged syndicate members Omer Tok, 39, Youssif Tawfik, 25, Christopher Peroulis, 46, and Mohamed Kaddour, 47, appeared in court on Wednesday and were remanded in custody until May 10.

Police will apply to extradite the two other Victorian men who were arrested in Queensland, and the 10 crew members who are in custody in Tasmania.

Fifteen properties were searched on Wednesday, including business, residences and factories in Essendon, Craigieburn, Meadow Heights, Southbank, Broadmeadows, Reservoir, and Warrnambool.

Police found $93,000 cash, small amounts of drugs, a pill press, and stolen watercraft.

It is possible other people involved in the alleged importation could be charged, as investigations continue into the source of the drugs. The investigation has stretched to Myanmar, as well as Singapore, China and Japan, and the syndicate is alleged to have had significant global relationships.

The syndicate are unlikely to have organised other significant drug importations, but had been monitored for months because of its suspected involvement in other crime.

It was unclear to authorities what had been planned until syndicate members travelled to Port Fairy, and the location of the Kaiyo Maru was considered.

Police put two and two together, and prepared to strike

And then the plot allegedly unravelled anyway, first on a dark highway, then on a shallow reef.

In the words of one investigator: “This was supposed to be payday.”