National

Alleged 850kg coke smuggler 'told it was tobacco'

By Aaron Bunch

Sep 8, 2026

lady justice — Five people are on trial over the alleged importation of cocaine worth an estimated $500 million -AAP Image

A European allegedly involved in a failed bid to smuggle nearly a tonne of cocaine into Australia believed he was part of a tobacco trafficking operation, a jury has been told.

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Navy divers found 849.5 kilograms of cocaine in 29 packages worth about $500 million in the ballast tanks of a cargo ship off the West Australian coast in May 2023.

Germanas Joneliunas, 24, Ashley William Vlotman, 40, Meagan Elizabeth Rees, 35, Milan Begovic, 46 and Terrence William Baker, 29, have pleaded not guilty to importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug over the massive haul.

Joneliunas's lawyer, Simon Watters, told the WA Supreme Court on Tuesday that the Lithuanian national was paid 50,000 euros ($80,600 as of Tuesday) to travel to Australia and help with a tobacco smuggling operation.

"Not cocaine," Mr Watters said during his opening remarks.

"He did not know it was a border-controlled drug he was attempting to import."

Baker's lawyer, Anthony Elliott, said his client was also unaware he was part of an alleged cocaine smuggling plot.

Baker, Joneliunas and another man are accused of attempting to recover the cocaine using a runabout boat named No Fixed Address.

The illicit drugs had never actually been thrown overboard from the ship, which had sailed to Australia from Argentina, and Mr Elliott said Baker believed he was on a fishing trip.

"He didn't think he was going out to collect huge quantities of cocaine," Mr Elliott said in his opening remarks.

No Fixed Address ran into trouble offshore from Perth in rough seas, west of Rottnest Island.

Baker called his mother using a mobile phone and asked her to call sea rescue.

"Someone who knows about 800kg or more of cocaine isn't going to ask the authorities to come and save them," Mr Elliott said.

Baker's pink iPhone was described as the Rosetta Stone to the jury due to the large number of messages on it, which prosecutors say are about the alleged smuggling operation.

Rees's lawyer, Helen Prince, said her client let a man not on trial use her phone and take control of her Signal account.

But she did not know he was attempting to import drugs.

Rees is accused of aiding the failed drug importation plot.

Ms Price said Rees was working on key days during the operation and didn't have access to her Signal account.

"She had no idea what was going on when she left to go to work," Ms Price said.

The Signal account was allegedly used to coordinate elements of the smuggling operation.

The trial continues.