Couple Jailed for 13 Years Over $121 Million Cocaine Haul

A French couple has been sentenced to 13 years in jail for their role in retrieving almost 500 kilograms of cocaine hidden inside a yacht that sailed to Townsville from the South Pacific.

Rachid Kachour and Matthieu Rees, who pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court in Brisbane, were found to have possessed a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug.

Details of the Cocaine Haul

The court heard that the men, aged 54 and 44 at the time of their offence, had been in a relationship for decades and had been living in the Australian Capital Territory before they committed the crime.

In May 2023, the court heard that they travelled to Townsville and used a drill to access the hull of a yacht docked in the marina that was concealing hundreds of packages of cocaine.

Authorities cut a hole in the yacht's hull to find cocaine hidden inside. The couple hired a van and, over several days, removed the drugs and took them to a safe house, before patching the damage they caused from the retrieval, the court heard.

Commonwealth prosecutor Jacob Robson told the court that the men collected an "exceptionally large quantity of cocaine".

"There was at least 484 kilograms," he said.

The court heard that the drug had 80.6 per cent purity and a street value of $121 million.

Motivation and Role in the Operation

Mr Robson told the court that it was accepted that the men initially did not know what type of drug they were tasked to move or how much.

"Ultimately the amount that they retrieved was significantly greater than either initially anticipated," he said.

"Nevertheless, when they were contacted they both knowingly undertook to recover a border-controlled drug."

Mr Robson described their role as being "subordinate" and said they were motivated by financial gain, as they received a $300,000 payment.

"It's not suggested that they had any part in the actual importation venture," he said.

Concerns Over Lack of Surveillance

The court heard that when the yacht arrived in Queensland from Vanuatu in April, it raised suspicion for the Australian Border Force (ABF), which restricted its movement.

During the weeks it was docked, there was no surveillance of the yacht by authorities, the court heard.

Mr Robson told the court that the men were only caught after it was checked on months later.

"When the police came back in July, they found that it had all been disturbed … and obviously stuff had been removed," he said.

"They were able to work out by the records of the marina and CCTV records exactly what had happened."

Justice Peter Callaghan said this was "a bit disturbing" given it was being investigated as being suspicious.

"They obviously didn't have the resources to keep the thing under observation," he said.

"With the result that all these hundreds of kilograms of cocaine have been allowed into the community."

"It makes you wonder, people talk about getting tough on drugs."

Defence Arguments

Defence lawyer for Rees Scott Lynch told the court that his client was a dual citizen who had "limited" involvement in the plot.

"They received a call to go up and assist with access to the vessel," he said.

"That instruction came from a cousin of the co-accused overseas."

Suki Bloom, who represented Kachour, echoed that her client "sits at the lower end of the hierarchy" in the operation.

"It's really something of pack and unpack," she said.

Ms Bloom told the court that Kachour was a permanent resident but would likely have his visa cancelled and would face deportation to France once he left custody.

She said he welcomed this, as he had suffered hardship in jail due to speaking limited English, which caused him to be "very isolated".

"He is very keen to return home," she said.

Sentence and Background

The court heard that both men have spent just over three years in custody since their arrest and neither had a criminal history.

They were sentenced to 13 years in prison with a non-parole period of five and a half years.