A MUSICIAN sailed a catamaran packed with more than 500 kilograms of cocaine from Tahiti to NSW for a promised $500,000 payout, a court has heard.
Craig Lembke claims he did not know the cocaine was hidden inside the twin hulls of the 13-metre catamaran Skarabej.
Mr Lembke, 49, from Mayfield East, and his co-accused, 36-year-old Daniel Percy from Western Australia, have pleaded not guilty to importing a commercial quantity of cocaine.
Mr Percy is accused of organising the catamaran for the drug shipment but he too denies knowing the cocaine was on board.
In his opening address to a Newcastle District Court jury on Wednesday, prosecutor Rob Ranken said Mr Lembke had been recruited by one of the drug shipment organisers, who can't be named for legal reasons, to sail the cocaine to Australia for $500,000.
The pure cocaine in the 700kg of white powder seized by police was just shy of 550kg, detectives allege.
Seven hundred one-kilo bricks of white powder were stamped with the logo from the television series ThunderCats.
Mr Ranken told the jury Mr Lembke, an experienced sailor, set off from Tahiti with a friend on October 17 in 2017.
He sailed the Skarabej into Coffs Harbour on November 10 and was met by Australian Border Force officers to complete immigration formalities and receive port to port clearance to take the catamaran to Pittwater.
Mr Lembke and his friend set off three days later, arriving at Lake Macquarie the next morning and mooring the Scarabej near the Toronto Royal Motor Yacht Club.
Mr Ranken said one of the drug shipment's organisers had met with Mr Lembke two months earlier at the musician's home to ask him to sail the Scarabej from Tahiti to Australia.
The organiser later told a drug syndicate member, who also can't be named, after the meeting with Mr Lembke "OK, he's in," according to a conversation recorded by police.
Police were monitoring the Scarabej when the drug syndicate member boarded the catamaran on November 15 at Lake Macquarie and began using power tools after 9am to cut through the hull to access the drugs.
Mr Ranken said Mr Lembke travelled by dinghy to the Scarabej a short time later and was seen looking at the hull and inside the hatch before leaving.
The prosecutor said in a recorded conversation between Mr Lembke and the drug syndicate member the night before, the musician talked about how "this is all new to me" and asked if there were any concerns about undercover police officers.
But defence barrister Peter Krisenthal said Mr Lembke told police after his arrest: "Yep, I sailed it back. I didn't know there were any drugs on it."
Mr Krisenthal said the drugs had been professionally secreted in the boat and Mr Lembke had no idea they were there.
"To the naked eye ... it was not readily apparent," he said.
The trial before Judge Jonathon Priestley continues.
