A "black flight" allegedly carrying 52 kilograms of methamphetamine from Papua New Guinea has been stopped by Australian Federal Police at Monto airport in the North Burnett on Tuesday.
A black flight is commonly a light aircraft that logs false flight plans (or no log at all), flies at a very low altitude or turns off flight monitoring systems to avoid law enforcement or aviation monitoring systems.
Five men from New South Wales, appeared in Bundaberg Magistrates Court yesterday and today on charges relating to their alleged involvement in the black flight under an AFP-led investigation.
It will be alleged the men charged were "transnational serious organised crime" members who handled the practical arrangements for the methamphetamine to be imported on board a black flight from PNG to rural Queensland.
It will be alleged that once the flight landed in Queensland, the aircraft would be re-fuelled and flown to NSW.
Three of the arrested men allegedly provided ground support for the flight and had staged themselves in Queensland since February in preparation for the flight.
The two pilots who allegedly flew the black flight were also charged.
The methamphetamine had an estimated street value of more than $15 million.
The investigation was part of Operation Gepard, which is a joint investigation with the AFP, the NSW Police Force's State Crime Command and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission.
Police will allege that over two days, the pilot, a 51-year-old Fairy Meadow man, and co-pilot, a 52-year-old Tahmoor man, flew a twin-engine Beechcraft light aircraft from Wilton, a rural area south west of Sydney, to the town of Bulolo in PNG.
Their actions were monitored by members of the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary Transnational Crime Unit from Lae in PNG.
Before landing in PNG, the pilots refuelled at an airstrip in the central Queensland town of Monto.
It will be alleged the pilots collected 52kg of methamphetamine in PNG and then returned to the airstrip at Monto.
The men allegedly flew at an unauthorised low altitude with the aircraft's transponder switched off during the return journey in an effort to avoid radar detection.
All five men were arrested by specialist AFP and Queensland Police Service members shortly after the plane arrived at the Monto airstrip on Tuesday afternoon.
Police located and seized five duffle bags concealed in the plane, containing about 52kg methamphetamine.
All five men were charged with importing a commercial quantity of methamphetamine and face a maximum penalty of life imprisonment if convicted.
AFP Assistant Commissioner Eastern Command Stephen Dametto said the charges highlighted the lengths alleged criminal syndicates would go to in their bid to get illicit drugs to Australia.
"The way these criminal syndicates allegedly imported this methamphetamine to Australia was dangerous," Assistant Commissioner Dametto said.
"These charges are extremely serious, but equally, allegedly flying an unregistered, low-level flight, across thousands of kilometres is dangerous.
"These men have not only allegedly imported a dangerous drug, but flying at a low altitude without proper monitoring systems poses a huge safety risk to other aircraft and to emergency services members in the event of an incident.
"Methamphetamine is a dangerous, illegal drug that causes so much harm to the community and first-line responders, such as paramedics, nurses and police."
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