Two men pleaded guilty in Brisbane Supreme Court to possessing a commercial quantity of cocaine after being caught moving nearly 500 kilograms of the drug from a yacht docked at Townsville Yacht Club and Marina in 2023.

French national Rachid Kachour, 58, and his partner Matthieu Rees, 47, both residing in the Australian Capital Territory at the time, admitted to one count each related to the discovery of the drugs aboard the vessel. The yacht had recently arrived from Vanuatu and was flagged as suspicious by Australian Border Force officers. Following initial investigations, the boat was taped off and remained unsupervised for several months before a full search was conducted in July 2023.

Court documents revealed that over a four-day period in May, the pair accessed a concealed compartment within the yacht by drilling into it. This action uncovered approximately 484 kilograms of rock assessed as 80.6 percent pure cocaine, with an estimated street value of $121 million. They transported the drugs from the vessel to a safe house in at least eleven full loads and one partial load using a van rented by Kachour. Additional quantities of cocaine were later found still on the yacht.

Justice Peter Callaghan questioned why the yacht was left unattended despite the suspicion surrounding it. Evidence indicated the men had been recruited into the operation after Kachour’s cousin allegedly offered up to $500,000 for assistance. Both defendants asserted they were unaware of the precise nature, quality, or full quantity of the drugs and denied involvement in importing or distributing the narcotics elsewhere in Australia. However, Justice Callaghan observed that the scope of the operation “must have dawned on them” as they handled the cocaine.

At the time of arrest, Kachour and Rees were found with nearly $290,000 in cash; $10,000 of the promised payment remained unaccounted for. Neither man had prior criminal convictions. Defense barrister Scott Lynch argued that the two had been called in to help rather than being on standby, while Suki Bloom, representing Kachour, described their participation as limited to packing and unpacking, without deeper involvement.

Justice Callaghan sentenced both men to 13 years in prison with a non-parole period of five and a half years. The judge remarked that they had “plenty of time to reflect on the scale of what you had become caught up with” and emphasized the inherent risks associated with the operation.