Law enforcement officials had a light plane under surveillance when it departed far north Queensland on an ill-fated drug run to Papua New Guinea, a court has heard.
The Cessna was meant to covertly return to Australia carrying 540kg of cocaine in July 2020, prosecutors allege, but it crashed on the runway while taking off north of Port Moresby.
Salvatore Formica, 35, Aiden Anis Khoder, 32, Pierino Forni, 62, and George Machem, 38, have been charged with conspiring to import a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug.
A committal hearing in Cairns Magistrates Court on Monday to determine whether the four men would stand trial was told the alleged syndicate was on the radar of a joint organised crime task force consisting of members of the Australian Federal Police, Queensland Police and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission.
Julian Bianco, an AFP senior officer stationed in Port Moresby at the time, told the court police were aware the pilot, David Cutmore, was alone when he took off from Mareeba, west of Cairns, for Papua New Guinea.
It is alleged the light aircraft's transponder was switched off during the "black flight".
Mr Cutmore turned himself in at the Australian High Commission about two days after the plane crashed on the runway.
The court heard the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary found drugs stashed in mangroves after arresting PNG nationals allegedly involved.
Defence probes 'second syndicate'
Detective Inspector Bianco said Mr Cutmore admitted having flown to Papua New Guinea for the purpose of exporting drugs to Australia.
However, the court heard the pilot also claimed he did not know who was involved with the importation beyond someone he knew as "Adam" or "Aiden".
Prosecutors allege the unsuccessful drug run was not the first attempt to import drugs from Papua New Guinea using light aircraft.
Mr Formica and Mr Khoder are also charged with conspiring to do so in 2018.
The court heard Mr Cutmore told police he had been paid $500,000 in three instalments to fly drugs into Australia that year, and that he had paid $400,000 of that money to a syndicate that threatened his life.
Defence barrister Mark Gumbleton, for Mr Khoder, asked Inspector Bianco and another investigating AFP officer, Andrew Small, about their efforts to follow up any other syndicate with Mr Cutmore.
Detective Senior Constable Small said "there was a general uneasiness from [Mr Cutmore] to talk about it".
Mr Cutmore, who remains in Papua New Guinea and is yet to be charged with any offences in Australia, is expected to give evidence.
The committal hearing, before magistrate Kevin Priestly, is expected to run into next week.
