Extradited businessman in court

AUSTRALIA: A Canberra businessman has appeared in a New South Wales court after being extradited from Serbia over his alleged involvement in a A$500 million international cocaine smuggling ring.

Stockyards director and steel importer Rohan Arnold, 43, was led through Sydney Airport by detectives following his arrival yesterday morning.

Arnold was one of three Australians arrested at gunpoint at a five-star hotel in Belgrade in January over a syndicate that allegedly tried to bring more than a tonne of cocaine into Sydney via China last year. A court in Belgrade last month ruled that he ‘‘met legal conditions’’ for extradition to Australia.

AFP Detective Superintendent Stephen Dametto said the sheer volume of the alleged importation suggested the culprits were high up in the supply chain.

Arnold appeared in Central Local Court via audio-visual link on five charges, including importing and attempting to import a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug.

Waters, referred to in Serbian reports as a ‘‘big narcoboss’’, moved to Dubai in recent years and reportedly owns hotels and assets worth more than A$1 billion.

The 1280kg cocaine haul, seized in April 2017, was the second-largest in Australian history and was hidden inside prefabricated steel in a Chinese container ship docked in Sydney. Detectives allegedly found 2576 blocks of cocaine with an estimated street value up to A$500m. – AAP