An elderly pilot is among three men charged after allegedly plotting to make an island-hopping drug run from California to Australia carrying ice worth about $255 million.
The Australian Federal Police allege the trio intended to use a six-seater plane to ferry the massive haul of ice across the Pacific Ocean, but the scheme never got off the ground.
More National News Videos
- Video duration
- 00:46
Elderly pilot charged over $255m ice haul
Elderly pilot charged over $255m ice haul
An elderly pilot and three men are charged after allegedly plotting to make a drug run from California to Australia carrying ice worth about $255 million.
Up Next
Protests erupt after Justine Damond's death
- Video duration
- 01:05
- Video duration
- 01:05
Protests erupt after Justine Damond's ...
Protests erupt after Justine Damond's death
Chaos after the resignation of Minneapolis' police chief following the fatal police shooting of the unarmed Australian woman who dialled 9-1-1.
Up Next
Students call for national action on university sexual assault
- Video duration
- 01:13
- Video duration
- 01:13
Students call for national action on ...
Students call for national action on university sexual assault
University students have protested on the lawns of Parliament House ahead of the release of a landmark report into sexual assault on campus
Up Next
Home owners warned to prepare for rates rise
- Video duration
- 01:44
- Video duration
- 01:44
Home owners warned to prepare for rates ...
Home owners warned to prepare for rates rise
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull warns families not to borrow too much money amid fears of a hike in interest rates.
Up Next
Hidden from the light for 65,000 years
- Video duration
- 02:21
- Video duration
- 02:21
Hidden from the light for 65,000 years
Hidden from the light for 65,000 years
An astouding archeological find places Australia's Indigenous culture 65,000 years in the past.
Up Next
Nissan Pulsar number one stolen car
- Video duration
- 01:36
- Video duration
- 01:36
Nissan Pulsar number one stolen car
Nissan Pulsar number one stolen car
The Nissan Pulsar becomes the most stolen car in Victoria replacing the Holden Commodore.
Up Next
Sixth victim of Bourke Street massacre identified
- Video duration
- 03:25
- Video duration
- 03:25
Sixth victim of Bourke Street massacre ...
Sixth victim of Bourke Street massacre identified
It was revealed Japanese student Yosuke Kanno was the first to die in the Bourke Street tragedy, as the inquest began today.
Elderly pilot charged over $255m ice haul
An elderly pilot and three men are charged after allegedly plotting to make a drug run from California to Australia carrying ice worth about $255 million.
Plans to fly the small plane from the west coast of the United States to a regional Victorian air field was "unique", federal police Superintendent Krissy Barrett said.
"Now I'm not a good flyer at the best of times but that's certainly not a plane I would have wanted to be on," she added.
The 255-kilogram quantity of ice was discovered by the US Drug Enforcement Administration in a storage facility in Santa Rosa in northern California on June 15.
The drugs were to be hidden in the plane, Superintendent Barrett said.
"We'll allege there was a sophisticated concealment plan for the drugs ... which involved the removal of passenger seats on board the aircraft."
A 72-year-old Melbourne man who is a qualified pilot was arrested at Melbourne Airport on July 5.
Police allege he planned to fly to the US, before piloting the light aircraft back to Australia.
A 52-year-old man from Zetland in Sydney was stopped at Sydney Airport on Friday after $2.4 million in cash was seized at Mildura, in regional Victoria, in a discovery police have linked to the alleged trafficking plans.
A 58-year-old man from Maribyrnong in Melbourne connected to the haul was arrested in Melbourne's west on Wednesday.
The trio were charged with conspiracy to import a commercial quantity of methamphetamine. The charge carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
The NSW man is due to face court on Friday, while the others have already appeared before a magistrate.
The 72-year-old and the 58-year-old were also charged with money laundering offences in relation to the purchase of the light aircraft. This offence carries a maximum sentence of 20 years' imprisonment.
The 52-year-old was also charged with a money laundering offence in relation to the purchase of the aircraft. This offence carries a maximum sentence of 15 years' imprisonment.
DEA Resident in Charge Sydney Office, Eric Baldus, said the administration operated in the knowledge that today's most effective criminal syndicates were sophisticated, well organised and transnational.
"As such, our strong partnerships with the AFP, and others within the international law enforcement community, are vital to our unified efforts in combating the world's most dangerous and prolific narcotics traffickers," he said.
AAP, Fairfax Media