Trio Accused Of Plan To Smuggle $250M Drug Haul Into Australia

Police charge all three men


Article heading image for Trio Accused Of Plan To Smuggle $250M Drug Haul Into Australia

Image: AFP

Three Aussie men stand accused of planning to fly a light aircraft from California to regional Victoria with some pricey excess baggage - $250 million worth of the drug ice to be exact.

Australian Federal Police Superintendent Krissy Barrett alleges the trio planned to stash the drugs inside the six-seater light plane by removing the passenger seats, AAP reports.

"This is a small aircraft that we will allege was to be flown a 72-year-old man was to fly across the Pacific [Ocean] to Australia, to land a regional airfield with an extra weight of 250kg of drugs on board," she said.

"Now I'm not a good flyer at the best of times but that's certainly not a plane I would have wanted to be on."

The 255kg quantity of ice, worth an estimated $255 million, was discovered by the US Drug Enforcement Administration in a northern California storage facility on June 15.

A 72-year-old Melbourne man who is a qualified pilot was arrested at Melbourne Airport on July 5, while a 52-year-old NSW man was stopped at Sydney International Airport on Friday.

Police have linked the discovery of $2.4million in cash in Mildura, regional Victoria, to the alleged trafficking plans.

A third 58-year-old Maribyrnong man connected to the haul was arrested in Melbourne's west on Wednesday.

The trio were charged with conspiracy to import a commercial quantity of methamphetamine.

The NSW man is due to face court on Friday, while the others have already appeared before a magistrate.

20 July 2017




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