Plane that crashed shortly after take off in PNG was packed with cocaine

A small plane that crashed shortly after take-off in Papua New Guinea had been overloaded with cocaine and was bound for the Australian market.

PNG Police say the "greed" of the drugs gang played a part in their downfall.

It is believed the Cessna had been carrying more than 500kg of cocaine worth AU$80m.

Five men who are all allegedly members of a Melbourne-based crime syndicate have been arrested. In a statement, Australian police said the gang had been under surveillance for two years.

They say the light plane had taken off from Mareeba in North Queensland on Sunday and flew at a low altitude to avoid radar detection before landing at a remote airfield at Papa Lea Lea, north of Port Moresby.

It was then loaded up with drugs for the return flight to Australia.

The Australian Federal Police alleges greed played a significant part in the syndicate's activities and cannot rule out that the weight of the cocaine had an impact on the plane's ability to take off.

The wreck of the plane was found abandoned and empty a short distance from the airfield.

28 bags of cocaine together with an unspecified amount of Australian currency were later retrieved by Australian and Papua New Guinea police.

[Source: BBC]