Mackay men Andrew Brian Charles Drabsch, Wayne Harris Cameron charged over 565kg cocaine haul
A court has heard the bizarre details of how two regional Qld men were allegedly involved in a sloppy attempt to retrieve more than $200m worth of cocaine.
Police & Courts
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Two Mackay men have been charged over their alleged involvement in a drug smuggling ring which was exposed after authorities seized a monumental $224m cocaine stash.
Police allege the duo Andrew Brian Charles Drabsch, 44, and Wayne Harris Cameron, 53, travelled with another man to Western Australia where they purchased cars and a boat in a foiled attempt at collecting the 565kg of cocaine that had been dumped in the water, a court heard.
Both men appeared in Mackay Magistrates Court on Thursday charged with one count each of attempting to import a commercial quantity of cocaine.
The court heard during a bail application for father of two Mr Cameron that he, South Mackay man Mr Drabsch and a third man had been driven to Brisbane Airport on July 31, 2023 where they each boarded different flights to the west coast.
Magistrates Bronwyn Hartigan, in giving a brief overview of the allegations, said Mr Cameron had purchased a VW Caddy for $8000, Mr Drabsch bought a boat for $75,000 and the third man bought a LandCruiser for $39,000.
The court heard they had claimed to be on a fishing trip but were described as “incompetent and inexperienced” with boating and fishing.
Ms Hartigan said there were further allegations a bulk carrier had come into the area and dropped 565kg of cocaine into the water.
The court heard Mr Drabsch and the third man had allegedly gone out in the boat but had been unable to retrieve the drugs, encountered some difficulty, and had to hit the distress button to be rescued.
It is alleged Mr Cameron had been hanging around the boat ramp and initially gave a false name to police.
He and Mr Drabsch allegedly drove back to Mackay to avoid flying, the court heard.
Ms Hartigan said police alleged others went to Western Australia and had success in retrieving the drugs, which were later seized from a property.
Mackay CIB detectives arrested Mr Drabsch on Wednesday and Mr Cameron on Thursday in the region in a joint operation with the Australian Federal Police.
On August 11, 2023 authorities raided a Kalbarri property, about 570km northwest of Perth, where they allegedly found and seized 560kg of cocaine wrapped in plastic, as well as a boat, two vehicles and about $30,000 in cash.
Three other men were arrested in relation to the search warrant.
It is understood this is not the same boat Mr Drabsch allegedly purchased.
The mammoth stash is worth about $224m at street level and could have been responsible for about 2.8m individual deals.
Mr Cameron and Mr Drabsch initially both pushed for a bail application, with Ms Hartigan indicating she would not consider it unless each could put forward a $100,000 surety.
The court heard Mr Cameron was homeless, having been arrested at an unofficial squatters camp off Hume St, had cents in the bank and lived off Centrelink payments worth about $700 per fortnight.
Mr Drabsch rented a property at South Mackay, had $1700 in the back and lived off a disability pension totalling about $500 per week.
Commonwealth prosecutor Sam Lanskey argued there was a risk neither man would appear in Western Australia for their court matters.
Ms Hartigan said the charge was “extremely serious” and it was a significant amount of drugs likely to come with a hefty penalty of up to 20 years jail if convicted.
She found there was a very strong case against all the co-accused.
Bail was rejected for Mr Cameron, while Mr Drabsch abandoned a freedom bid midway through. Both were remanded in custody and will be extradited to the west coast to face court in the coming days.
The following services provide people with access to support and information:
- For free and confidential advice about alcohol and other drug treatment services call the National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline on 1800 250 015.
- Access free 24/7 drug and alcohol counselling online at counsellingonline.org.au.
- For information about drug and alcohol addiction treatment or support, go to turningpoint.org.au.
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