Authorities in Australia have detained a man, who allegedly tried to flee the country by jet ski.

It was part of a joint operation between the Australian Border Force (ABF), Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Queensland Police Service (QPS).

On March 25th, the border force received information from Queensland Police that a man, possibly armed with a crossbow and carrying additional fuel and supplies, had been seen launching the jet ski at Cape York.

The individual was likely identified as a 57-year-old British national, who had an outstanding warrant for drug related charges in Western Australia.

Monitoring officers then identified the man's travel path, and his intention to purchase fuel to get to Papua New Guinea.

The seized jet ski | Image: Australian Border Force

Officers located the jet ski and detained the man.

He was taken on board Australian Border Force vessel Roebuck Bay and brought to Thursday Island, where he was held pending extradition to Western Australia.

The jet ski was towed to Saibai island.

Jo Crooks of the Australian Border Force said the result highlighted the effectiveness of the collaborative joint agency approach.

Image: Australian Border Force

"This is a perfect example of local intelligence sharing, community support, ABOC coordination and our maritime capability, all working together to enable a quick and effective multi-agency response to a situation", she said.

"Through our posture in the Torres Strait and working closely with our AFP and QPS partners, we have the ability to detect a range of border threats, including suspicious movements through the region.

"Anyone who thinks they can either enter or leave Australia through the region without detection should think again."