'Black flight' smugglers caught with 52 kg methamphetamine on remote Australian airstrip
The methamphetamine seized had an estimated street value of more than $15 million
Australian Federal Police (AFP) on Tuesday nabbed five members of a criminal syndicate group for orchestrating a black flight and carrying 52 kilogrammes of illegal methamphetamine worth $15 million into Australia. The five men had flown a twin-engine Beechcraft light aircraft back and forth from Papua New Guines(PNG) to Australia before being apprehended.
The AFP officers were already in position when the 'black flight' that could not be detected by radar landed at a remote airstrip in Queensland. Images and videos of the incident released show the officials quickly circling the aircraft and nabbing the perpetrators.
"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 (March 21, 2023). Police located and seized five duffle bags concealed in the plane, containing about 52 kg methamphetamine," read the police report.
The police released a statement adding that pilots Bernard Hamilton-Alexander, 51 and his co-pilot, John Horvath, 52 took off from Wilton, a rural area south of Sydney on Monday. They took a pitstop at Monto to refuel before landing in the town of Bulolo in Papua New Guinea.
ALSO READ: Australia to legalise use of MDMA and magic mushrooms for treating depression
There they picked five duffle bags filled with 52 kg of methamphetamine before returning to Monto where the officers were waiting. Four of the five men arrested, all from the state of New South Wales have already been produced before the magistrates' court. The final perpetrator is expected to be produced before the court on Thursday (March 23).
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
National Handloom Day 2026: From Alia Bhatt to Samantha Ruth Prabhu; Actresses who celebrated India's textile heritage as brides
)
The Royals enter the Doctor Who universe: King Charles and Queen Camilla beam into Commonwealth Games in TARDIS
)
Unitree Robotics targets $9 billion valuation in landmark IPO backed by DeepSeek and Tencent
)
India names 27 sites in Arunachal Pradesh
)
Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata OTT: When will Kangana Ranaut's film stream online?
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
How many soldiers operate one S-400 battery?
)
Shakib Al Hasan ready to return to Bangladesh—under one condition
)
‘Fake news’: MEA rejects report claiming India sought defence pact with Israel after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey deal
)
Rockstar to unveil GTA 6 extended look ahead of November launch
)
Russia forms Ukrainian Volunteer Spetsnaz Brigade to fight Ukraine
)
Drug-resistant fungus that hides in hair and enters bloodstream reported in 23 US states
)
Technology transfer deal boosts India's defence manufacturing ambitions
)
Border row erupts in Europe after Ceuta crossings, Spain imposes border controls on Italy
)
Morale plummets on USS Abraham Lincoln: Are US sailors reaching a breaking point? | GRAVITAS
)
'Security can't be bought with Pakistan, Turkey deal': Iran tells Saudi Arabia
)
Baba Vanga's 2026 prophecy: 2 predictions 'already came true', 3 terrifying ones remain. Details inside
)
Colombia’s new president Abelardo de la Espriella vows to ‘defeat narco-terrorists’, signals hardline shift
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
New Friday OTT releases (August 7, 2026): Operation Safed Sagar, Vadhandhi, Main Vaapis Aaunga- 6 movies and TV shows on Netflix, Prime Video and more
)
Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth scripts history as Indian Air Force gets its first woman ‘Top Gun’ pilot
)
RSS says Gen Z protests reflect genuine distress
)
Trump says Iranian school bombing photos could be AI-generated - 'I don’t think...'
)
IAF officer held for sharing sensitive information in 'honey trap' case, booked under Official Secrets Act
)
Stray Kids under scrutiny? Fans react to Grammy submission silence after BTS boycott
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI doesn't need external fuel tanks to fly vast distances
)
Jugal Hansraj reunites with Shekhar Kapur after 40 years for Masoom: The Next Generation
)
New speed limits, automatic challans: Big traffic change coming to Delhi-Meerut Expressway. All you need to know
)
India officially names 27 places in Arunachal to counter China's renaming claims
)
Trump calls White House ballroom ruling a 'national disgrace' as court says Congress approval needed
)
US sanctions Iran’s crypto network after Strait of Hormuz attacks, offers $15m bounty for intel on IRGC finance
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI is one of the heaviest fighters ever built
)
Uttarakhand young innovator builds India's own flying vehicle, conducts first test flight: WATCH
)
Chilling video shows students take cover as teen opens fire at Thai school
)
Reese Witherspoon's father hospitalised after poolside incident in Nashville: Report
The police added that the men charged were Transnational Serious Organised Crime (TSOC) members who routinely handled the import of methamphetamine to rural Queensland from PNG.
"If you look at the size of this attempted importation that was essentially stopped, you're talking about 520,000 individual hits or deals. These men have not only allegedly imported a dangerous drug into Australia, but flying at low altitude without proper instructions poses a huge safety risk for other aircraft," saidDetective Chief Superintendent Jason Weinstein
ALSO READ | Cocaine worth $300 million with batman stickers found floating in New Zealand
(With inputs from agencies)
WATCH WION LIVE HERE: