Basic timeline.
April 16, 2003. Police observed the Pong Su close to shore near Lorne, Victoria. They followed two crew members from the ship to a nearby hotel.
April 17, 2003. These two crew members were arrested and found to be in possession of 50kg (over 100 pounds) of pure heroin. The beach was searched and the body of a third crew member was found - apparently he had drowned when his boat capsised. Two more crew members were found ashore and arrested. The Australian government ordered the Pong Su into harbour, and it chose to make a run for it. Operation Sorbet begins as the Royal Australian Navy gives chase.
April 21, 2003. Australian Army Special Operations Group soldiers storm the ship via a helicopter landing, and take it and its crew into custody. Approximately 30 crew members are arrested including one who is a former senior North Korean diplomat, possibly a North Korean intelligence officer. All are charged with narcotics trafficking.
May, 2003. A further 75kg of heroin is found on the beach.
March 5th, 2004. Charges are dropped against 27 crew members on the grounds there is insufficient evidence to proceed against them. Their deportation is ordered and they are transferred to immigration detention, where they will be held for three months being questioned.
June 24th, 2004. The 27 crew members are deported.
August 2005. The trial of the four remaining senior crew members (the political officer, Captain, First Officer, and Engineer) begins. All plead Not Guilty.
5th March, 2006. All are acquitted on the grounds of insufficient evidence, and they are deported.
23rd March, 2006. The RAAF destroys the Pong Su in a bombing run. The purpose of this was to send a message concerning drug trafficking, but it also served as a useful training exercise - bombing targets is fine, but being able to occasionally practice on a real ship is useful.
