It may have been best to let it go to the intended destination so more offenders could be nabbed. No doubt if they knew they were waiting with a vehicle, there’s a fair chance they would load something into it.

Agreed though, a Barry Seal style drop-off would seem like the far safer option for the pilot.

indeed. career progression maybe.
https://d6mljhs7208w9.cloudfront.net...tmore-1995.pdf
i seem to recall a direct flight from southern NSW direct to raglan back in the 90s with birds.

Given the number of federal and state agencies already noted you should not be surprised that this little sojourn was probably intercepted and tailed by an ABF Dash. They just haven't released the footage as its probably fundamental to the prosecutions case.
Not that that's ever happened before at all..:rolleyes::E

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This operation was extremely well organised. The Beech Baron did refuel at Bulolo, and had a bogus P2- registration in an attempt to cover it's tracks. There is only one legitimate Baron in PNG, being Mt. Hagen based.

Judging by the number of fuel drums on the truck; it was most likely a full fuel departure.

Grainy pictures on the Post Courier web site:-

Post Courier PNG a transit point for drugs into Australia

PNG-Aust drug bust – The National

PNG-Aust drug bust – The National..

John H is an interesting fella.

Met him when he was ARO at YGLB. Wondering if there's a Goulburn connection to all of this.

Once the police got the slightest whiff of this, they will have used electronic means to watch it develop. The alleged offenders are lucky they were "allowed" to make it to Australia.

I still remember being asked if I knew a source of fibreglass floats for a Piper Cub all those years ago by an acquaintance. He featured in the press some years later somewhere in Asia with multiple passports and firearms,

Yeah, that one. And I'm tipping that once the QPS case gets to court, they'll be getting their hands on it, them or the feds.

Not yet.

​​​​​​​It'll be back in the media when it hits court. And when the pilot's story gets out (if it does) it'll be very entertaining.

If you see him around, he owes me $180. Too scared to ask him for it :-)

You want me to get your coin? They've got his guns but I still ain't asking him for anything! Scary dude :}

https://www.looppng.com/png-news/%E2...d-buimo-118730

Arrests in PNG in connection with this case.

As I recall, he put it down intact, but then set fire to it!:ugh:

Waste of a good Shrike!!:mad::mad:

Still can’t let go of the fact that “only” 52Kg was recovered when the aircraft could have carried say 300kg with the same risk.

Previous poster stated GC distance Monto-Bulolo was 1250nm … @ 180KTAS that’s a tad under 7 hours which is hard to believe is possible.

Well, I guess they may have stretched the range by shutting down one engine in flight.… Could they have stretched it to 1250? This may explain the restricted payload.

And then reports in the PNG papers in the links in previous posts stated that they had fake P2 registration and yet photos of the aircraft at Monto show it to be devoid of any markings, not even VH.

Curiousier and curiouser.

GC distance is actually 1,086 nm, so 6 hours by Baron, however the GC track would take them virtually directly overhead both Moresby and Rocky. I very much doubt that they would want to be that conspicuous, so suspect there may have been another stop somewhere up on the Cape or elsewhere. That might also explain why the load was so light.

The PNG article states that they departed Bulolo about 0815, so it would be interesting to see what time they arrived at Monto.

IIRC, the Shrike was carrying Buddha sticks. With his plan now pear shaped, the temptation for a massive toke was overwhelming?

Monto and Bulolo appears a very strange choice of air strips, considering the number of remote strips in Cape York, relatively deserted remote strips along the Papuan Gulf coast and the Cape to Gulf return well within the Baron's fuel range? :confused:

For a non stop flight to have occurred , the most plausible explanation is the aircraft had ferry tanks fitted. Otherwise, it looks like they may have got away with importing 200+ kg.

The aircraft apparently departed Monto at close to midnight. The aircraft flew through the night to arrive at Bulolo just after first light.
Bulolo has challenging weather and the pilot was either very experienced or extremely lucky that the mountain range was clear and the valley open. I'm thinking there would have been a plan 'B' if Bulolo was fogged in.
There may have been a few jerry cans in the back of the aircraft.
I know of two Beech B-55 Baron aircraft in Aus that has a permanent long range tank built into the area where the 5th and 6th seat were fitted. Not large but an extra two hours of fuel. Fuel gauge and transfer switches on instrument panel. VH-EHN (back in the 1970's) was one such airframe.
I'm sure there has been an en-route stop. The winds have been tending on shore during the week, so fuel would be tight.
It would be interesting to know where they applied the 'stick on' false registration, and where the removed the fake stickers. Fake P2 rego in Bulolo and at Monto aircraft is devoid of all markings. Interesting .

Two things are certain: (1) the AFP and other agency's will get to the bottom of this. The facts will come out. (2) other people will be trying again in the future.

Isn’t low level no tsp a bit old hat with OTH radar .?
These sort of episodes do illustrate what a wide open northern coastline we have.

And all his cares went up in smoke..:D

And now, back to the original subject of this thread; There is a theory around which goes along the lines that for every successful drug bust, it is occasionally only a diversion from a major run which gets through.

Comments?

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Yes a diversion is very possible. Drug runners don't necessarily need to start in Australia. Any aircraft from S/E Asia will do. A one-way trip through the North or West of PNG, into Australia, on arrival, unload the goodies and then torch the aircraft. The northern coast of PNG would be the most likely, flying through the West via Papua has its own inherent dangers, namely a forced landing or being arrested etc. The Indo/Papua para military are very unpleasant people and any court appearance would tend to be very brief and the end result unpleasant. I warn all my friends when travelling through S/E Asia, especially Malaysia the most important three words you need to remember is: Barlow and Chambers.

Jindalee; The horizon radar located in the Northern Territory, is outdated and requires enhancements. That's assuming it is on-line 24/7.

The Jindalee Operational Radar Network Phase 6 Upgrade : Department of Defence

The choice of Bulolo is interesting, and actually makes sense. A large expat community involved in Forestry, Crops, Food, Timber, Hydo scheme and Mining and an active and awesome Golf Club. A white face, even a stranger would not attract attention.

The Chinaman arrested at Nadzab about to board an aircraft for Australia; like wise a large number of Chinese owned or operated Trade stores. Construction workers and so forth. A Toyota open tray vehicle is nothing new and fuel drums in the back could be anything from motor spirits, avgas, diesel, Kerosene etc; again not an attention grabber. Risky drive up the highway from Lae to bring in the fuel; but this is a risky venture anyways. There has been a lot of civil unrest in Bulolo of late diverting the police away "other" activities. I can see why they chose Bulolo.

All this adds up to a few expendable people being caught; and a much larger organisation, sitting, watching, and learning.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....9514c854c8.jpg

Yup. It’s a fine line between a loopy conspiracy theory and the truth. And it’s always too easy to disparage the hard working cops at the AFP. Imagine how demoralising it must be to catch the crooks and only for our judiciary to give them derisory sentences with a minimal time before parole.

Of course, given that they’ve been watching this team for ages and knowing the time, dates and destination tells you they pretty much knew everything there was to know. The news video of the arrests at Monto looked highly choreographed, complete with drone footage and video of chaps in form fitting camos charging through a gate. It wasn’t just a drug bust, it was a PR spectacular - It was this which raised my eyebrows.

Curiouser and curiouser.

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PNG Police arrest 8 more people in connection with the Bulolo flight over the weekend, including a serving police office and defence force soldier. The number of Chinese people involved should be of concern.

Post Courier Police arrest eight suspects involved with ‘black flight’

Chinese held over K35mil drug case – The National

Equally concerning would be if they started selling it to locals. Horrific, actually.

They need to deport these guys back to China. There’s only one penalty for drug trafficking in China - the family has to pay for the bullet.

The amount of drugs entering New Zealand and Oz originating from China could have you almost believe the trade is state sponsored.

Off to Buimo Jail

The National 29 March 2023

A LAE district court yesterday rejected bail for an expatriate and six Papua New Guineans implicated in the K35 million methamphetamine bust in Lae last Tuesday.
All seven, appearing from police custody, were issued warrants of remand and sent to Buimo Jail after their application for bail was rejected by the court.
Magistrate Lorna Sani ordered that all be remanded at Buimo jail until their next court date.
The court remanded Ning Hezhong, 64, from Fuzieng’s Fuging City, China; Levi Wartovo, 39, from Wau-Waria’s Kuimba village, Morobe; Hosea Tarere, 32, from Rabaul’s Pilapila village, East New Britain; Steven Temen, 28, from Gumine’s Sipagul village, Chimbu; Luke Meda, 33, from Central’s Tubusereia village; Joshua Tupana, 33, from Siwai’s Siroi village, Bougainville; and, Alfred Sanage, 35, from Dei’s Mala village in Western Highlands.
All were charged with one count of trafficking controlled substance.
Despite lawyers for the defendants making oral applications before the court to have their bail applications heard, magistrate Sani asked prosecutor Sergeant Vincent Suakai for his oral submission.
Suakai stated that the Controlled Substance Act stated that the court did not have the jurisdiction to grant bail because the quantity of the drug exceeded 2kg — 52kg in this case.
He said bail however, could be decided by a higher court later and application could be made at the National Court.
Police alleged that on March 21, the defendants were at Section 100, Allotment 14, Cassowary Road in Lae.
The court heard that the defendants helped each other to allegedly move the controlled substance (methamphetamine), packed in 88 plastic bags, from Seventh Street in Lae to Bulolo for transportation by air to Australia.
The case will return to court on May 3 for a second mention.

With the damage that stuff does RIP Rot In Prison is a reminder that greed is not so good.
Of course the Mr Bigs are still out there. And so are the people silly enough to pay for it and use it.

Don't forget that the pilot flew "at an unauthorised low altitude". He thinks he's in trouble now. Wait til CASA get involved.

I am sure that slap with the wet lettuce leaf will be front of their minds!!! :}

Yes, and more than just Jindalee. Not as wide open as you might think. It's a game of triage, however.

Someone once posted here that Jindalee could pickup up a periscope 100 miles over the horizon (or something similar), it sounds quite impressive.

Having just seen olderairheads picture, and the very distinctive paint scheme, three colours green/blue/black stripes it would appear this is actually VH-BKA. A rego search shows it being taken up by WARRJO PTY LTD earlier this year and it did a lot of "local flying" around Cowra, then nothing since the 17/2/23. Does that help anyone out at all?

Does anyone know if VH-BKA has extra fuel capacity to the tune of say 7.5 hours at normal cruise power?

I’m still having difficulty accepting that these were non-stop flights.

If they had a “tech stop” each way, the outbound leg would have required lighting - pointing to a very well trained and organised aviation operation.

Cutmore, presently in jail in Port Moresby, will have bribed his jailers by now and eating better than the rest of the rabble. I'm sure he has a mobile phone and is in contact with others.
This is well organised, but its more about the flight planning. Agreed 7.5 hours would be the minimum fuel, but as has been previously mentioned in other posts, there must have been a plan 'B' in case the weather at the destination was 'socked' in. Therefore; a dusty outback airstrip in northern Queensland, car headlights is all you need. Also mentioned in previous posts is that the aircraft had bogus registration letters at Bulolo, and was void of same upon arrival when nabbed by police. There has been an enroute landing!
Whilst there has been little media of late; no doubt waiting for the cases to be 'mentioned' in court etc, I imagine the AFAP, and other agencies are gathering all the information required.
This event and last years Cutmore saga, is unfolding and is bigger than Ben Hur!

A bit more than a car’s headlights unless it was a moonlit night. And it’s not that easy, both the pilot and ground crew would have had to practice and also done a thorough recce of the planned tech stop.

Fingers crossed the AFP weren’t sold a pup and the majority of the payload wasn’t dropped off at the tech stop.

Pity about their Cecile B. De Mille cinematographic extravaganza of the bust.. somewhat cheapens otherwise good police work.

Knowing two of the accused, "well trained and organised" are not the words that come to mind. Chancers. Clowns. Circus.

I have done the APS class a couple of times so I reached out to one of the lecturers who tells me he used to post here a lot, but not anymore. This is what he had to say. A Baron is not something I have any experience with, but this certainly makes sense with my limited knowledge. It does seem very realistic

Been 40 years since I flew Barons, admittedly before the era of LOP. But none those numbers are reflected in my memory.

I seem to recall 24 gph (110 lph) @ 180 KTAS was what we used. Admittedly we ran the engines well rich of peak as LOP was unheard of then.

26.5 lph per engine at 180 KTAS is certainly impressive that’s almost half of what we used to plan on. That LOP regime sure is amazing.

Nevertheless, arriving in Bulolo in the morning with only 30 mins of fuel is sporting. That implies having only 13 litres of fuel remaining in each tank!

Courier Mail 4 April 2023

The pilot allegedly involved in a stealth flight carrying $15m worth of methamphetamine from Papua New Guinea to Australia has had his case mentioned in Bundaberg Magistrates Court.

Bernard Hamilton Alexander, a 51-year-old pilot from Fairy Meadow in New South Wales, was one of five men arrested after the “black flight” was intercepted on a refuelling stop in Monto near Bundaberg last month.

On Monday, his case was mentioned in the court’s judicial officer’s chambers, where it was adjourned until next month.

Police allege the five accused Sydney men allegedly flew a light plane by stealth from an outback desert airstrip to Papua New Guinea to pick up the massive haul of meth before being arrested back in Australia.

Mr Alexander, who has not applied for bail, remains in custody.