Kayaker Nathan Baggaley pleads guilty to role in commercial cocaine smuggling plot
A Queensland Olympic silver medallist has entered a shock guilty plea over his role in a commercial cocaine smuggling plot, for which he had previously seen a 25-year jail sentence and guilty verdict overturned.
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An Olympic silver medallist has entered a shock guilty plea to his role in a commercial cocaine smuggling plot, for which he had previously overturned a 25-year jail sentence and guilty verdict after trial.
Former Olympic kayaker Nathan Baggaley pleaded guilty at Brisbane Supreme Court on Thursday morning to attempting to import a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug (cocaine) between December 16, 2017 and August 2, 2018 at Coolangatta.
His younger brother Dru pleaded guilty to the same charge yesterday, October 16.
The brothers were previously found guilty of the charges in 2021 at a trial, which heard they had been involved in a failed plot to smuggle more than 500kg of cocaine into Australia.
It was alleged the brothers attempted to retrieve plastic packets of cocaine, valued at up to $200 million, from a foreign freighter 360km off the coast of Queensland.
The court was told Nathan had purchased and fitted out an inflatable dinghy with $10,000 worth of equipment, which Dru had used to retrieve the drugs – which were ultimately dumped into the ocean during a pursuit by an Australian navy vessel.
After the jury returned a guilty verdict for both brothers, Nathan was sentenced to 25 years jail and Dru was sentenced to 28 years in jail.
The brothers were both able to appeal their convictions earlier this year and were headed for retrial later this month – until their shock guilty pleas.
The retrial, which was expected to commence on October 28, was delisted following Nathan’s guilty plea this morning.
Nathan and Dru were both remanded in custody for a sentence date to be set.
Originally published as Kayaker Nathan Baggaley pleads guilty to role in commercial cocaine smuggling plot
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