Pilot Bernard Hamilton Alexander jailed for smuggling drugs from PNG into Australia
A pilot has been sentenced to 11 years' jail for smuggling 56 kilograms of methamphetamine into Australia from Papua New Guinea.
Bernard Hamilton Alexander, 54, was sentenced in the Supreme Court in Bundaberg on Wednesday after pleading guilty last month to importing a commercial quantity of a controlled drug.
Alexander was one of five New South Wales men arrested on March 21, 2023 in the rural town of Monto, 500 kilometres north-west of Brisbane.
The court heard Alexander was behind the controls of a light plane, flying it from Monto to Papua New Guinea and back again the day before his arrest.
He collected five duffel bags containing 87 plastic bags of a white crystalline substance from a PNG airstrip.
Prosecutor Kim Bryson said the bags contained more than 70 kilograms of substance, which equated to about 56 kilograms of pure methamphetamine.
Ms Bryson said it was worth between $11 million and $17 million when sold in 0.1-gram quantities.
Alexander was "instrumental" in the scheme, flying the plane and recruiting a co-pilot, she said.
Defence solicitor Callum Cassidy said while Alexander had a vital role, he did not have organisational responsibilities and was little more than a paid hand.
Justice Graeme Crow disputed that, saying "he was an important paid hand".
The court heard Alexander was due to receive $500,000 for his role.
In sentencing, Justice Crow said Alexander was involved in several flights and planned to bring the light plane from Orange in NSW and arranged for additional fuel to be brought to the Monto airport.
The court was told intercepted phone calls and a surveillance device in the plane helped the Australian Federal Police investigation.
Justice Crow sentenced Alexander to 11 years' imprisonment, with a non-parole period of eight years.
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