BUNDABERG, QLD — A pilot has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for flying 56 kilograms of methamphetamine from Papua New Guinea into Australia, as part of a major international drug smuggling operation.
Bernard Hamilton Alexander, 54, was sentenced in the Supreme Court in Bundaberg on Wednesday after pleading guilty to importing a commercial quantity of a controlled drug. His arrest occurred on March 21, 2023, in Monto, a rural Queensland town located 500 kilometres northwest of Brisbane.
The court heard that Alexander flew a light aircraft from Monto to Papua New Guinea and back on the day before his arrest. At a remote PNG airstrip, he picked up five duffel bags filled with 87 plastic packets containing a white crystalline substance. Testing later confirmed the substance to be 56 kilograms of pure methamphetamine, with an estimated street value of $11 to $17 million, depending on distribution quantities.
Prosecutor Kim Bryson stated that Alexander played an “instrumental” role in the smuggling operation, including recruiting a co-pilot. Although defence solicitor Callum Cassidy argued Alexander had no organising authority and was “little more than a paid hand,” Justice Graeme Crow dismissed that claim, stating he was “an important paid hand.”
Alexander was reportedly promised $500,000 for his involvement.
The court also learned that Alexander had made several prior flights as part of the scheme and had arranged to bring the aircraft from Orange, New South Wales, to Monto. He also organised extra fuel deliveries to support the long-range flight.
The Australian Federal Police investigation was aided by intercepted communications and a surveillance device planted in the plane.
Justice Crow sentenced Alexander to 11 years’ imprisonment, with a non-parole period of eight years.
