Crime
by Mark Morri
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Rogue pilots are flying plane loads of cocaine into Australia on "black flights", landing undetected on remote airstrips before leaving again loaded with cash.
"Unmanned airstrips are certainly used by drug cartels to bring in drugs,'' said former ABF boss Roman Quaedvlieg.
"Also there are coastal airstrips which are unresourced and the importers will run the gauntlet, so to speak, knowing that authorities are not as well staffed as bigger airports and believe they can escape detection."
A Cessna twin engine plane crashed near Port Moresby carrying 500kg of cocaine in 2020. The Australian pilot died in the accident. Picture: Supplied