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Drug smugglers arrested - PNG to Australia in Beech Baron

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Drug smugglers arrested - PNG to Australia in Beech Baron

Old 24th Mar 2023, 04:01
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Originally Posted by Mach E Avelli
It doesn't say much for our air defence system that this 'black flight' presumably landed somewhere en route for fuel and possibly dumped some of the drugs, then continued inside Australian territory. The RAAF shoulda intercepted it the moment it was somewhere where it could be forced down. Or better still, shot it down.
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.
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Old 24th Mar 2023, 06:37
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Originally Posted by megan
Now its drugs, back in the 60's and 70's it was wildlife. Well known at the time aviation identity who I knew was nabbed when a RAAF C-130 inbound to Darwin asked for traffic, when told "none" he replied he was painting a target on radar. Turned out to be the identity smuggling wildlife to somewhere in Indonesia with his Beech (owned an A36 and Baron).

Folk may recall Donald Tait who crashed his Aero Commander near Katherine in 1978 when smuggling marijuana, detected by Darwin radar and chased by a RAAF C-130.


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.
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Old 24th Mar 2023, 08:29
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The RAAF shoulda intercepted it the moment it was somewhere where it could be forced down. Or better still, shot it down.
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..
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Old 24th Mar 2023, 08:29
  #44 (permalink)  
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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
..
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Old 24th Mar 2023, 08:49
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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.
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Old 24th Mar 2023, 09:42
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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,
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Old 24th Mar 2023, 12:25
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You mean the one in Mackay with holes in it from a storm and an ultralight trying to fornicate with it? It is probably still there in disrepair. QPS were after it. It is still showing as registered to the same owner.
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.

​​​​​​​Anyone know if the Aerostar gang have had their day/s in court?
Not yet.

​​​​​​​The media never follow up on anything so who knows?
​​​​​​​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.
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Old 24th Mar 2023, 12:41
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If you see him around, he owes me $180. Too scared to ask him for it :-)
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Old 24th Mar 2023, 23:04
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You want me to get your coin? They've got his guns but I still ain't asking him for anything! Scary dude
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Old 24th Mar 2023, 23:08
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https://www.looppng.com/png-news/%E2...d-buimo-118730

Arrests in PNG in connection with this case.
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Old 25th Mar 2023, 09:19
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Donald Tait who crashed his Aero Commander near Katherine in 1978 when smuggling marijuana,
As I recall, he put it down intact, but then set fire to it!

Waste of a good Shrike!!
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Old 25th Mar 2023, 10:27
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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.
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Old 25th Mar 2023, 11:41
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Previous poster stated GC distance Monto-Bulolo was 1250nm … @ 180KTAS that’s a tad under 7 hours which is hard to believe is possible.
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.
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Old 25th Mar 2023, 12:02
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Originally Posted by Pinky the pilot
As I recall, he put it down intact, but then set fire to it!

Waste of a good Shrike!!
IIRC, the Shrike was carrying Buddha sticks. With his plan now pear shaped, the temptation for a massive toke was overwhelming?
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Old 25th Mar 2023, 20:41
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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?
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Old 25th Mar 2023, 21:24
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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.


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Old 25th Mar 2023, 21:31
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"For a non stop flight to have occurred ......"


One of the news articles confirmed they refueled at Bulolo.
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Old 25th Mar 2023, 22:24
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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.
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Old 25th Mar 2023, 22:58
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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.
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Old 26th Mar 2023, 01:04
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the temptation for a massive toke was overwhelming?
And all his cares went up in smoke..

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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