Monday Headlines: 

• Flotilla activists claims of sexual assault while detained
• Trump says no rush for Iran deal despite it being ‘largely negotiated’
• Second Australian killed in shark attack in as many weeks 
• Independents in 'advanced talks' to create a new political party
• Animals thriving in Chernobyl Exclusion Zone 

Deep Dive: One of Australia’s biggest cocaine stings almost collapsed because of a behind-the-scenes turf war between Australian police and the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). At the centre of it was a $1 billion shipment linked to a Mexican cartel and a covert operation that exposed deep fractures inside the agencies meant to stop it. 

Behind the White Line, published in collaboration with The West Australian on LiSTNR's Secrets We Keep feed, traces the journey of cocaine from narco to nostrils, uncovering the global syndicates, corruption and violence behind Australia’s appetite for the world’s glamour drug. 

In this episode of The Briefing, Chris Spyrou speaks with investigative journalist Richard Baker about the extraordinary operation, the infighting that threatened to derail it, and the human cost behind Australia’s cocaine obsession. 
 
Listen to Rich’s latest season of Secrets We Keep: Behind the White Line here. 

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