Man jailed for 17 years after playing 'key role' in smuggling cocaine from Colombia to Queensland
Earlier this year Mark Anthony Dumenil was found guilty of one count of importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug and one count of attempting to possess a commercial quantity of unlawfully imported drugs.
It was the second time he faced trial on these charges, after being convicted of the lesser offence by a previous jury, but that was overturned on appeal last year.
During a sentencing hearing on Thursday, the Supreme Court in Brisbane heard that in January 2018, packages of white powder were detected concealed within a shipping container after arriving in Brisbane.
Authorities identified the substance as mostly pure cocaine with a street value of more than $5 million dollars.
The substance was swapped out with an imitation drug before the shipping container was sent to its intended address at a warehouse in Wacol.
Commonwealth prosecutor Sarah Cartledge told the court Dumenil played a "key role" in organising the drugs to be brought into the country.
"He did so with full knowledge of what was to be imported and did so in expectation of significant financial gain," she said.
Ms Cartledge told the court Dumenil used his legitimate tyre business to have the shipping container sent to the storage facility he leased in "an effort to avoid attention".
"He was involved in extracting [the cocaine] from that shipping container," she said.
Ms Cartledge told the court while he and co-offender Hashanth Arjuna Kulatunge removed the drugs and packed them into a suitcase, Dumenil was captured on a covert listening device.
"There was a comment… 'We're going to make f****** good money out of this'," she said Mr Dumenil was recorded saying.
Both men were arrested after Kulatunge delivered the suitcase of drugs to two other men.
The three co-offenders have already been sentenced over their roles in the plot after pleading guilty, serving between eight and 12 years in jail.
Justice Peter Callaghan told Dumenil his offending was "all too systematic and deliberate".
Justice Callaghan accepted he may not have known exactly how much cocaine was being imported, but knew it would be "truly significant", and rejected defence submissions he was unaware the packages were filled with drugs.
"It is not possible to detect even a hint of remorse for your actions," he said.
Dumenil, who has already spent just over two years in prison, will be eligible to apply for parole after serving eight years in custody.
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