Two members of a notorious drug syndicate, known for their “black flight” operations, have been sentenced for smuggling methamphetamines worth $17 million into Australia from Papua New Guinea.
The operation involved a carefully orchestrated plan using a twin-engine Beechcraft aircraft, which was flown to Bulolo, a historic gold mining town nestled in the mountainous region of Papua New Guinea’s Morobe Province.
The audacious flight was piloted by two men who departed without authorization from Monto, a regional town situated northwest of Brisbane, heading towards Bulolo.
Upon successfully landing at the PNG airstrip, they quickly loaded five duffel bags filled with methamphetamine.
The bags contained 87 plastic packages of a white crystalline substance, collectively weighing 71.5 kilograms.
Subsequent testing determined that the pure methamphetamine content was 56.98 kilograms.
The men are alleged to have collected the meth and concealed it in the plane’s nose cone before embarking on a “black flight” return to Australia, flying at low altitude with the transponder off in a bid not to be detected.
The cargo was bound for NSW, but when the return leg of the flight touched down in Monto to refuel on March 21, 2023, the authorities were waiting.
Two of the five smugglers, co-pilot John Otto Horvath, 55, and 57-year-old Peter David Payne, who provided ground support, pleaded guilty to a single charge of importing a commercial quantity of drugs in the Brisbane Supreme Court today.
Two other syndicate members have previously been sentenced for their part in the elaborate scheme.
Justice Rebecca Treston said Horvath and Payne were far from the top of the syndicate hierarchy and had no idea of the quantity of the drugs the smugglers were bringing into Australia.
“I accept you did not finance any aspect of the importation nor were you particularly instrumental in the organisation of it,” she said.
Horvath was recruited for his piloting skills and stood to gain a slice of the profits.
“You had a significant role in the actual movement of the importation of the drugs,” Treston said.
“I accept you did not recruit anyone to the venture, and were in fact recruited yourself.
“But you helped fly the plane both to Papua New Guinea, allowed the collection of the drugs onto the plane, and then flew the plane back to Monto.”
Payne lives next door to another of the smugglers and failed to grasp the extent of the importation plot.
“However, your conduct was more than objectively reckless, especially when you became aware of the true nature of the importation,” Treston said.
Payne did not hide his movements, used his own car to transport the fuel and even booked accommodation in his own name.
“It’s probably best described as logistical support… both of you were to receive a financial reward from your involvement in the drugs being imported into this country,” Justice Treston said.
Horvath was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment, with a non-parole period of 10 years.
Payne was handed a lesser sentence of eight years and will be eligible for release after five years.
