NSW man sentenced to eight years' jail for role in $15m drug operation
Police intercepted 52kg of methamphetamine on a plane at Monto Airport. (Supplied: Australian Federal Police)
In short:
Nathan John Bailey will be eligible for parole in 12 months, after pleading guilty to attempting to smuggle more than 50 kilograms of methamphetamine into Australia.
He was one of five men arrested over a March 2023 drug bust in Monto, valued at more than $15 million.
Bailey was today sentenced to eight years in jail, having already served 1,094 days in custody.
A New South Wales man involved in a "black flight" to bring $15 million worth of methamphetamine to Australia will be eligible for parole next year, after serving four years in jail.
Nathan John Bailey, 43, pleaded guilty today to one count of importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug, at the Supreme Court in Bundaberg, Queensland.
He was sentenced to eight years in jail, with a non-parole period of four years, having already served 1,094 days in custody.
A black flight from PNG to Australia was found to have 52kg of methamphetamine on board. (Supplied: Australian Federal Police)
Bailey is one of five NSW men charged over the March 21, 2023 flight that was intercepted in Monto, about 500 kilometres north-west of Brisbane, on its return from Papua New Guinea (PNG).
Australian Federal Police were waiting for the plane when it stopped in the small town to refuel.
The court heard Bailey provided logistical support and surveillance at the Monto Airport, and while his role in the drug syndicate was important, he was not the one making critical decisions.
Five alleged criminal syndicate members accused of orchestrating a black flight from PNG to Australia were charged. (Supplied: Australian Federal Police)
Crown prosecutor Kim Bryson said Bailey had a clear intention to involve himself in the operation, having created a PNG registration number to be fixed to the aircraft.
Justice Graeme Crow said the five men were to be paid a total of $1.5 million, with $500,000 going to each of the pilots, leaving $300,000 for the other men involved.
The day before the arrest, the two pilots, Bernard Hamilton Alexander and John Otto Horvath, flew from Monto to PNG and collected five duffel bags containing 87 plastic bags of a white substance.
Police recovered 71.5 kilograms of the substance, with 56.98kg found to be pure methamphetamine.
The plane was seized at Monto Airport near Bundaberg. (Supplied: Australian Federal Police)
In 2025, Alexander was sentenced to 11 years' jail with a non-parole period of eight years, while Horvath was sentenced to 15 years' jail with a non-parole period of 10 years.
The Supreme Court heard Peter David Payne, who had a similar role to Bailey, was given eight years' jail, with a non-parole period of five years.
Another defendant accused of being the organiser of the operation, Mark Brian Pracy, pleaded guilty to the same charge in 2025 and is yet to be sentenced.