Two baggage handlers who work on behalf of Australian flag carrier Qantas have been charged alongside three other suspects on suspicion of plotting to illegally smuggle 100kg of cocaine into Australia. The drugs are said to be worth $40 million at street value.
The two men who worked at Sydney Airport used their ‘trusted insider’ status to access the cargo hold of a Qantas plane that had just arrived from Johannesburg, South Africa and remove five large bags containing the drugs on October 7.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) said it set up an operation to snare the criminal gang after Qantas informed it of ‘suspicious activity’ that it had noticed around the cargo hold of one of its planes while it was parked on the ground in Johannesburg back in October 2022.
A sting operation was set up and AFP officers were able to identify the same suspects as being in the vicinity of the plane when it arrived in Sydney. The 12-month investigation culminated on Saturday when police arrested five members of the gang.
The two outsourced baggage handlers were seen removing five bags from the cargo hold of a Qantas plane that had just arrived from Johannesburg and then transferring them to a cargo waiting outside a cargo terminal.
Each of the five bags found in the car contained bricks of a white substance wrapped in black plastic. Forensic testing confirmed the substance was cocaine, with each bag containing about 20kgs.
“We will allege the organiser of this importation was well-organised and well-resourced, while the men working with trusted insiders had the potential to assist numerous criminal endeavours if they were allowed to continue unchecked,” commented AFP Detective Superintendent Kristie Cressy.
“People with trusted access in an airport precinct are critical to the successful operation of Australia’s tourism and trade sectors, but the AFP will not hesitate to investigate and prosecute those who abuse this trust by assisting and profiting from organised crime.”
The two airport insiders worked for an outsourced ground handling company used by Qantas for its baggage and cargo operations at Syndey Airport.
Qantas ‘illegally’ sacked more than 1,700 of its in-house baggage handlers and ground staff during the pandemic and has refused to hire back the affected staff members.
The Transport Workers Union of Australia sued Qantas over the illegal terminations and ultimately prevailed last month after the airline appealed an initial court ruling that found against it.
