Geraldton one-tonne drug trial: Witness Joshua Smith reveals how boats met to exchange 1.2 tonnes of meth

The skipper of a boat that sailed into WA with more than a tonne of meth on board has told of the moment when the captain of an Asian mothership demanded “money” — meaning the other half of a torn banknote which was the signal to hand over the billion dollar cargo. One-time oyster farmer Joshua Smith will be one of the central witnesses in the case against Patrick Bouhamdan — on trial for being a key player in the 2017 importation of 1.2 tonnes of the deadly drug into Geraldton. A jury in WA’s Supreme Court has heard how months of planning went into bringing the enormous drugs payload into Australia — which had been mirrored by months of investigation and surveillance by the Australian Federal Police. One of those they were watching was Mr Smith — who told how he had been recruited for a job “out west” in July 2017. He was told that the job involved something in the region of 800kg. He described how within days of meeting his contacts — including Mr Bouhamdan — he was in Perth, sea testing a $300,000 cruiser called the Valkoista, which was paid for by someone else and put in his name. And within hours of that sea test in rough seas, he described leaving Hillary’s for a mid-ocean rendezvous with a mothership, with Mr Bouhamdan on board. Prosecutors claim that the July trip was the first of two made by the Valkoista in 2017 — both intended to bring vast quantities of drugs into the west coast of Australia, with a plan to then drive them east. Mr Smith said in December he was back in Perth, and back with Mr Bouhamdan. And on December 18, the Valkoista was back on the high seas, with more coordinates for another mid-ocean meeting. “The purpose was to pick up more drugs … that was what we were being told was happening,” Mr Smith said. “It was their preference to meet at night.” Which is what they did — with an AFP listening device also on board. Recordings played to the jury captured confused voices, before one shouts, “money”. Mr Smith said that was the captain of the Asian mothership. And he was asking for the sign to start unloading the drugs. That sign, said Mr Smith, was half a $10 Hong Kong banknote. The captain had one-half. And Mr Smith told the jury that his shipmate Mr Bouhamdan had the other. “The Asian captain, his stress levels relaxed — he had a much more passive face,” Mr Smith said. Then, large packages began being thrown onto the deck of the Valkoista. The trial earlier heard how when the Valkoista returned three days later, it was allegedly carrying 60 bags, all packed with dozens of 1kg packages of high-purity methamphetamine. WA’s Supreme Court was told that after watching the shipmates walk to an all-night Hungry Jack’s for a feed, heavily armed police made their move — arresting the Valkoista’s skipper, a ground crew unloading the drugs, and Mr Bouhamdan. He was sitting in a nearby hire car. And prosecutors will allege that in the moments before he was arrested and handcuffed, he hastily texted another of the drugs syndicate with the message: “They just got grabbed.” Mr Bouhamdan denies the charge of importing a commercial quantity of meth into Australia. And his barrister Julie Condon KC said the “form and substance” of the allegations against the South Australian came from Mr Smith — and that his evidence should be closely scrutinised. “He would have you believe he is a simple oyster farmer from NSW who got caught up in something … you won’t be convinced of that when you see and hear him,” Ms Condon said. “He will fall short of being a witness of credibility and reliability in so many ways. He is kind of a wolf in sheep’s clothing.” The trial continues.