Olympic medallist, coke-accused brother on covert tape in prison

“Black boat ... f***ing army guys ... f***ing machine guns …” This is the explosive prison recording of a conversation between an Olympic medallist and his brother about a high seas drug bust that brought down their alleged attempt to import $176m worth of cocaine.

A GOLD Coast man accused of importing 600kg of cocaine was recorded saying he was lured by criminals who told him the voyage would be like “whale watching”.

Fishmonger Dru Baggaley’s colourful description of his spectacular arrest at gunpoint by Queensland water police – and how he came to take part in the plot to pick up $176 million of cocaine in international waters – have been revealed in documents filed in the Supreme Court.

Police allege this is Dru Baggaley in the blue jacket with cocaine on board his boat.

“This big boat come out of nowhere and it was f***ing Customs … (we were) like trying to avoid it … they were just still behind us and realised f***, not good,” Dru, 37, from Coolangatta, told his Olympic kayaker brother Nathan, 44, of the July 2018 bust.

Dru told his brother they kept sailing towards the shore and, hours later, a second boat appeared.

“Black boat. All with f***ing army guys in it. They had like balaclavas … f***ing machine guns, like army-coloured machine guns. So they just come and it was all over. Just pointing guns at us. ‘Dont f***ing move, I’ll blow your f***ing head off’,” Dru told his brother on August 15, 2018.

In response, Nathan laughed and exclaimed, “f***king hell!”

A photo police allege is of Dru Baggaley throwing cocaine in the ocean, filed in court by prosecutors as part of Dru’s failed bail bid.

What the brothers thought was a quiet chat in Arthur Gorrie prison was tendered in court after it was covertly recorded by the Australian Federal Police, court documents state.

Nathan’s lawyers filed the transcript of their chat in the Supreme Court in December as part of Nathan’s failed bid to be freed on bail.

He failed in a closed bail hearing on January 22.

Barrister Tony Kimmins states in court documents that the chat “provides insight to the extent of” Nathan’s knowledge of Dru’s actions and intentions in relation to the boat.

Dru is accused of leaving a Brunswick Heads boat ramp at 11pm on July 30 and sailing for 11 hours with another man in a glorified dinghy before meeting a 55m red “mother” ship that he alleges was called The Wanderer.

The ship’s crew, who did not speak English, threw about 30 packages in the water and Dru and another man picked them up, police allege.

Nathan Baggaley.

About three hours later a navy patrol boat spotted their vessel and tried to board them, but they tried to outrun it and Dru is alleged to have moved around it “throwing the packages in the ocean” nearly 100 nautical miles east of Byron Bay.

The patrol boat stopped chasing them to pick up the packages, but four hours later a Queensland Water Police boat intercepted and arrested them 65 nautical miles east of Byron Bay.

Later Dru told his brother about the questions police asked him after he was arrested, according to the transcript.

“And the cop said to me, he goes ‘Oh, what was it like? Big decision throwing all the coke overboard.’ I f***king thought it was tobacco. I didn’t give two s***s about it,” he said.

Dru told his brother he was encouraged to take part in the pick-up by unnamed people who told him: “Hop in, it’s like whale watching.”

Dru Baggaley (centre) with unknown men.

Dru, who police allege is a principal in a transnational crime syndicate, told his brother he was going to be given the boat as payment, along with cash.

“Obviously these c***s have set me up knowing that I’m going out to pick it up, and they’ve kept (their) distance on purpose … like I can’t identify any of them, even if I wanted to,” Dru told his brother in the covertly recorded prison chat.

Nathan told Dru police had suggested to him Dru was “just a puppet” who took part in a bid to repay a debt he owed.

Nathan asked Dru about his defacto partner, lads magazine cover girl Jade Harland, who is also an ex-girlfriend of jailed arms dealer and drug kingpin Matthew Delander.

“She obviously hasn’t come to visit you yet?” Nathan asked.

“Nah, she’s got no car still,” Dru replied.

The chat happened just days after Nathan ended up in the same prison after he was charged with helping in Dru’s alleged importation plot.

Nathan asserts his innocence.

Jade Harland. Picture Facebook

Prosecutor Sophie Harsburg told Nathan’s bail hearing Nathan bought the boat and fitted it out with a satellite phone, chart plotter and internet connection.

Ms Harsburg also alleges Nathan’s fingerprint was found inside a piece of tape used to cover the boat’s registration details, that he engaged in “veiled communications” that indicated planning of an event and also tried to communicate with Dru during the pick-up.

Ms Harsburg also alleges Nathan was in the Brunswick Heads area on the day of the alleged plot.

An Australian Federal Police photographer takes pictures of the packages that were retrieved from the ocean after Dru Baggaley allegedly threw them overboard off the coast of northern NSW in July 2018.

Nathan is also alleged to have had two encrypted communication apps on his phone – the same apps used by an unknown person to communicate with Dru while he was on the boat.

“I maintain I was not involved and had no knowledge of the alleged importation,” Nathan told the court in documents.

Nathan claims he registered Dru’s boat in his name as a favour for Dru, who didn’t want to raise eyebrows by parking his new purchase at home, where he still lives with his parents.

Nathan Baggaley poses with the silver medal he won in the Men's K1 500 metre final, flat water event at the 2004 Olympic Games.

Nathan told Dru he told police, “If I knew it (the boat) was doing what it was gonna do … (I’d) get any f***ing junkie to put their name on it”.

If convicted, both men face possible life in prison. Both remain in prison as their bail bids have failed.

Dru’s case returns to the Supreme Court in Brisbane on February 28 and Nathan’s case returns to the same court on May 28.