Geraldton drug seizure trial: TRG officer describes moment 1.2 tonnes of meth was allegedly smuggled into WA

Three men alleged to have sailed more than a tonne of meth into Western Australia were spotted doing another run — to Hungry Jack’s — before being arrested for their part in what was Australia’s biggest ever ice seizure. Seven men will spend the next several months on trial in WA’s Supreme Court, charged over the alleged importation of 1.2 tonnes of meth haul into Geraldton in December 2017 — which if it had reached the streets in kilogram lots would have been worth $160 million. Prosecutors say Jabour Anthony Lahood, Christos Cafcakis, Khalid Elia Kaena, Patrick Leandro Bouhamdan, Peter Harb, Serupepeli Anthony Rasuabale and Stephen Baxter were all intricately connected and involved with the operation to collect the drugs from the high seas, and then bring them into WA. And today, the evidence against the gang began, with a member of WA Police’s tactical response group telling what he saw as part of the surveillance team on the jetty in the early hours of December 21. The unnamed officer described seeing a boat, the Valkoista, docking at the jetty just after 2am, and seeing three men disembark. And he described how after reaching dry land — following an alleged 300km offshore jaunt to meet another boat and collect the drugs — the trio made another much shorter trip, towards the Hungry Jack’s several hundred metres away. A white Fiat van was also spotted. And after 59 large bags each containing 25kg of drugs were loaded into the van, police swooped — arresting the ground crew and the boat crew on the spot. The court was told the arrests were the culmination of a five-month police operation, launched after the same syndicate successfully completed another importation of around 600kg of drugs in June of the same year. And the trial is expected to hear from three men who were also part of the gang — but will now give evidence against their alleged collaborators. Police watched Mr Lahood and others meet up in Bangkok, and talked of a “big one” coming up. They were watching as the importation allegedly stalled twice — and listening as alleged gang members discussed what they were going to get paid, one saying he was up for $250,000, another $2 million. And as the Valkoista left in the afternoon of December 18, 2017 to sail around 300km off the coast to meet the mother ship — which was labelled as the “Asian boat” in a satellite phone — police were “completely onto it”. Prosecutors said by now, the police also knew the skipper, Mr Cafcakis and Mr Bouhamdan to be the boat crew. The van driver, Mr Rasaubale and Mr Kaena were the ground crew waiting in a large white van for the drugs to arrive in Geraldton. Prosecutors say Mr Harb had recruited those men. The court heard that among listening devices used by police was one hidden on the boat, which recorded the trip out to meet the Asian mother ship — even capturing the moment the alleged handover took place. The recording captured a crew member on the Asian boat requesting “Money, money” — which Mr Barklay referred to half a Hong Kong banknote which had allegedly been agreed as a signal that the handover should happen. Such a banknote was found in Mr Bouhamdan’s car when he was arrested. Defence lawyers for the men told the jury to pay particular attention to the evidence of three so-called “rollover” witnesses, who the jury were told had done “deals” to get themselves into better legal positions. The trial continues.