AFP officers executed a search warrant at the woman’s Rochedale home on 16 January, 2024, with officers seizing electronic devices and financial records. Photo: AFP
A Brisbane woman has been charged for allegedly facilitating a "black flight" loaded with 71.5 kilograms of methamphetamine from Papua New Guinea (PNG) to Australia in March last year.
The woman, 41, the owner and director of a logistics company in PNG, appeared before the Brisbane Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.
She was denied bail and will reappear in court on 1 March, the Australian Federal Police (AFP), New South Wales Police Force, Queensland Police Service, Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission and the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary said in a joint statement.
AFP officers executed a search warrant at the woman's home on Tuesday, with officers seizing electronic devices and financial records.
The woman has been charged with one count of importing a commercial quantity of methamphetamine and one count of dealing with proceeds of crime, money or property worth AU$10,000 or more.
It follows the arrest of six men in Australia and eight people in Papua New Guinea last March, who are alleged to be members of a trans-national organised crime syndicate.
The joint statement said arrests occurred after authorities intercepted the flight, destined for New South Wales, when it landed in rural Queensland to re-fuel after travelling from Bulolo, a district in Morobe Province in PNG.
The plane allegedly concealed five duffle bags of methamphetamine.
The AFP allege the Brisbane woman "actively facilitated the drug importation".
"This includes allegedly storing the methamphetamine prior to the importation, buying bags for its transportation, and paying for the fuel and runway in Bulolo used for the black flight."
'Street value of more than $15 million'
AFP Commander Investigations Eastern Command, Kate Ferry, said criminals go to great lengths to get drugs into Australia.
"Methamphetamine is an insidious drug that has ripple effects on the user, their loved ones and the wider community," she said.
"This importation had an estimated street value of more than $15 million."
Police executed a search warrant on the woman's Brisbane property in March 2023 after the arrests.
The joint statement said enquiries revealed methamphetamine had been stored at a commercial premises operated by the woman in PNG prior to the flight.
"The AFP will allege the woman, who is the owner and director of a logistics company in PNG, actively facilitated the drug importation.
"This includes allegedly storing the methamphetamine prior to the importation, buying bags for its transportation, and paying for the fuel and runway in Bulolo used for the black flight."
Investigations into how the drugs entered PNG remain ongoing.