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?