Three members of a Melbourne-based criminal syndicate, with alleged links to Italian organised crime, were today (16 July, 2026) sentenced for conspiring to import over 500 kilograms of cocaine into Australia from Papua New Guinea.
The men were arrested in July 2020, after an investigation into a black flight by the Queensland Joint Organised Crime Taskforce (QJOCTF) – working closely with Victoria Police and the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC) – led to coordinated search warrants across Victoria, NSW, Queensland and PNG.
Operation Weathers resulted in five men in Australia and four men in PNG arrested after the black flight aircraft crashed while attempting to take-off from a remote airstrip at Papa Lea Lea, north of Port Moresby, PNG, on 26 July, 2020.
The cocaine onboard the flight, worth about $800 million at the time, never made it into the Australian community as it was located by RPNGC five days after the crash.
A Niddrie (Victoria) man, now aged 39, was sentenced to 22 years' imprisonment with a non-parole period of 13 years.
He was convicted of one count of conspiracy to import commercial quantities of border controlled drugs, contrary to section 307.1(1) and section 11.5(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth).
A Maribrynong (Victoria) man, now aged 37, was sentenced to 21 years' imprisonment with a non-parole period of 12 years.
He was convicted of one count of conspiracy to import commercial quantities of border controlled drugs, contrary to section 307.1(1) and section 11.5(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth).
A Liverpool (NSW) man, now aged 42, was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment with a non-parole period of four years.
He was convicted of one count of attempt to import commercial quantities of border controlled drugs, contrary to 11.1 of the Criminal Code (Cth).
A fourth member of the syndicate, a 67-year-old Melbourne man, was sentenced on 27 March, 2026, to four years’ and six months’ imprisonment with a non-parole period of 18 months.
He was convicted of the following offences:
- One count of dealing with proceeds of crime worth $1,000,000 or more, contrary to subsection 400.3(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth), and;
- One count of conducting transactions to avoid reporting requirements relating to threshold transactions’, contrary to subsection 142(1) of the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (Cth).
Four men in PNG were charged over the conspiracy and in September, 2024, the PNG National Court of Justice handed down sentences of between 18 and 19 years’ imprisonment to each of the men.
Senior police officers from Australia and Papua New Guinea (PNG) witnessed the destruction of the 500kg of cocaine in November, 2024, at a secure facility in Queensland following the PNG court outcome.
The fifth Australian-based man, 38, was found not guilty of knowingly participating in the importation plot by a Brisbane Supreme Court jury in May, 2023.
The QJOCTF comprises investigators from the Australian Federal Police (AFP), Queensland Police Service (QPS), Australian Border Force (ABF) and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) with the valuable assistance of the Australian Taxation Office and AUSTRAC.
AFP Detective Superintendent Adrian Telfer said Operation Weathers highlights the commitment by domestic and international law enforcement to collaborate and combat organised crime group operating across multiple jurisdictions.
“We had our eyes on this criminal group from a very early stage of this planned importation,” Det-Supt Telfer said.
“Four men in Australia will serve a combined maximum sentence of 54 years’ imprisonment, a result made possible by our committed officers dedicating almost two-years to this multi-agency operation, and our close ties with the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary.
“This importation was a clear demonstration of the lengths criminal groups will go to in order to profit at the expense of our community. It also demonstrates the danger of black flight ventures, and we were lucky no one was killed or seriously injured in the plane crash.”
The Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary Commissioner David Manning welcomed the outcome of this investigation and acknowledged the close cooperation between the Australian Federal Police and the RPNGC through Operation Weathers.
“This demonstrates the commitment of both the RPNGC and AFP to pursuing all members of transnational criminal networks, regardless of where they are located, and ensuring they are held accountable under the law,” Commissioner Manning said.
“We commend the investigators and partner agencies involved in this matter and reaffirm our commitment to continuing joint efforts to combat serious and organised crime across the region.
“The growing collaboration with neighbouring jurisdictions as a result of a number of MoU’s being signed ensures greater Pacific collaboration.”
Queensland Police Service, Crime Command Detective Chief Superintendent, Colin Briggs said this outcome is a significant milestone for the investigation and the Queensland Joint Organised Crime Taskforce and sends a clear message that organised crime groups will be pursued, regardless of where they operate.
“Years of extensive and coordinated investigative work across multiple agencies and jurisdictions have led to this result, reinforcing our commitment to disrupting serious organised crime networks and preventing harm caused by illicit drugs in the community,” Det C/Supt Briggs said.
Victoria Police Detective Superintendent David Cowan, Organised Crime Division said Victoria Police, alongside partner agencies, will continue to detect and disrupt organised crime at every level.
“This outcome was only possible due to the cooperation between law enforcement agencies who were all committed to a single goal – dismantling this syndicate,” Det-Supt Cowan said.
“Today’s result should serve as a warning to criminal syndicates attempting to bring illicit substances into our communities: the pursuit of drug manufacturers and traffickers is something that never ends for police.”
ABF Acting Superintendent Zachary Bruton said the success of this operation showed how strong partnerships between law enforcement agencies were critical in combating criminal syndicates.
"The ABF will continue to target and disrupt criminal networks that seek to use aviation, maritime or other pathways to facilitate the importation of illicit drugs into Australia," Supt Bruton said.
Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission Executive Director Collection Operations, Andrew Clunas, said this seizure was a stark reminder of the lengths organised crime groups will go to in order to import illicit substances into Australia.
“This sentencing is the culmination of outstanding work over a number of years by all agencies involved, from the intelligence discovery efforts by ACIC through to coordinated disruption activity by law enforcement partners.” Executive Director Clunas said.
“It’s an excellent demonstration of our domestic and international partners working collaboratively to keep these harmful substances out of the community.”
In February 2026, the AFP and Queensland Police Service launched the NQ JOCTF in Cairns to protect vulnerable communities and Australian sovereignty by targeting organised crime, such as people smuggling and drug trafficking, who seek to exploit Far North Queensland.
The NQ JOCTF comprises the AFP, Queensland Police Service, Australian Border Force and Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission.