Woman charged with black flight loaded with 71.5kg meth

A BRISBANE woman was charged yesterday with allegedly facilitating a black flight loaded with 71.5kg of methamphetamine from Papua New Guinea to Australia in March 2023.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP), New South Wales Police Force, Queensland Police Service, Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission and the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary in a joint statement said the woman, 41, appeared before the Brisbane Magistrates Court yesterday. She was refused bail.
Her next court appearance is scheduled for March 1 in the Brisbane Magistrates Court.
This follows the arrest of six men in Australia and eight people in PNG last March, all alleged members of a transnational organised crime syndicate.
The arrests occurred after authorities intercepted the flight when it landed in rural Queensland to re-fuel after travelling from Bulolo, PNG. It is alleged the aircraft, which concealed five duffle bags of methamphetamine, was destined for NSW.
Police executed a search warrant on the woman’s Brisbane property in March 2023 after the arrests.
Enquiries revealed the methamphetamine had been stored in 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.
AFP officers executed a search warrant at the woman’s Rochedale home on Jan 16, 2024, with officers seizing electronic devices and financial records.
AFP Commander Investigations Eastern Command Kate Ferry said the arrest was a testament to the diligent and relentless work of the AFP and its partners.
“Criminals will go to great, and often dangerous, lengths to get drugs into Australia, and this matter is an example of that. This investigation is also an example of how the AFP will continue to pursue organised crime groups no matter what state or country they operate in, or how long it takes,” Commander Ferry said.