Aussie police arrest 5 over "black flight" loaded with 52 kg methamphetamine-Xinhua

Aussie police arrest 5 over "black flight" loaded with 52 kg methamphetamine

Source: Xinhua| 2023-03-23 13:03:30|Editor: huaxia

SYDNEY, March 23 (Xinhua) -- The Australian Federal Police (AFP) said on Thursday that five alleged criminal syndicate members were arrested and accused of orchestrating a "black flight" from Papua New Guinea (PNG) to Australia with 52 kg methamphetamine.

According to the statement, the men, all from the Australian state of New South Wales, are members of a transnational serious organized crime syndicate, which has been under the microscope for months.

From Monday to Tuesday, a 51-year-old and a 52-year-old co-pilot flew a twin-engine Beechcraft light aircraft from Wilton, a rural area in the southwest of Sydney, to the town of Bulolo in PNG to collect the drug, which had an estimated street value of more than 15 million Australian dollars (about 10 million U.S. dollars).

The police said that the pilots then returned to central Queensland on a "black flight", switching off the plane's transponder, and flying at low altitude to avoid radar detection.

The other 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, according to the statement.

"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 emergency services members in the event of an incident," said Stephen Dametto, assistant commissioner at AFP Eastern Command.

Following the return of the plane to Monto on Tuesday afternoon, the federal police arrested all five men and executed search warrants at four homes and businesses.

The syndicate also allegedly used encrypted phones and messaging systems to communicate with other members of the supply chain based offshore.

Four of the men appeared in court on Wednesday, while the fifth was scheduled to appear on Thursday.

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