Cutmore charged with money laundering appears in court

A 52-YEAR-OLD Australian man charged with dealing with criminal property in Central two years ago made his first appearance in the National Court yesterday.
Judge Theresa Berrigan told David John Cutmore, from North Queensland, to speak with a public solicitor and return next Tuesday to inform the court of who will be representing him in court.
Last month, a committal court found enough evidence against Cutmore and committed him to try his case at the National Court.
Police prosecutor Insp Boas Binuali said that the current charge put before Cutmore was for the money that he had brought into the country which breached the Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Act 2015.
He said the total of AU$75,000 (about K189,000) in cash was found in three envelopes which was the alleged money which Cutmore used to pay three nationals for transporting packages of drugs.
It was alleged that last July 26, Cutmore illegally entered the country from Cairns, Australia, on a twin engine aircraft and landed near Papa-Lealea in Central.
He was alleged to have flown in to pick up 611kg of cocaine and was to return to Australia but the plane had crashed due to the weight.
Police at the scene recovered the drugs and later arrested Cutmore after he surrendered himself.
He was convicted of illegally entering the country and breaching the Civil Aviation Act for flying without a license and crashing.
Cutmore was fined K37,000 for the previous charges, but was detained at the Bomana Correctional Services for being unable to pay.