French Couple Jailed for 13 Years Over 484kg Cocaine Haul Hidden in Yacht

Two French nationals who collected nearly 500 kilograms of cocaine concealed inside a yacht that arrived in Townsville from the South Pacific have been sentenced to 13 years’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to serious drug trafficking offences.

Rachid Kachour and Matthieu Rees were sentenced in the Supreme Court in Brisbane after admitting to possessing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug.

During the sentencing hearing, the court heard that the pair, who were aged 54 and 44 at the time of the offences, had been in a long-term relationship and were living in the Australian Capital Territory before becoming involved in the operation.

Prosecutors told the court that in May 2023, the men travelled to Townsville and targeted a yacht docked at a local marina. Using a drill, they accessed a concealed compartment within the vessel’s hull that contained hundreds of packages of cocaine.

The court heard the pair hired a van and spent several days removing the drugs from the yacht and transporting them to a safe house. After retrieving the cocaine, they allegedly repaired and patched the damaged section of the vessel in an attempt to conceal their actions.

Commonwealth prosecutor Jacob Robson described the seizure as an exceptionally large quantity of cocaine, telling the court that authorities recovered at least 484 kilograms of the drug.

According to evidence presented during proceedings, the cocaine had a purity level of 80.6 per cent and an estimated street value of approximately $121 million, making it one of the more significant drug seizures prosecuted in recent years.

The case forms part of ongoing efforts by Australian law enforcement agencies to target large-scale international drug trafficking operations and prevent illicit narcotics from entering the country through maritime routes.

The court considered the scale of the operation, the quantity of drugs involved, and the offenders’ roles in the scheme before imposing the prison sentences.

FB Note: This report is based on court proceedings and sentencing outcomes. Legal findings relate to matters determined by the court.