Documents tendered in a New South Wales court show the timeline of an alleged people smuggling operation police have linked to a deadly cocaine importation attempt in Newcastle last year.
The documents allege that Brazilian nationals Bruno Borges-Martins and Jhoni Fernandes Da Silva were smuggled into Cullen Bay, in Darwin, between 1pm and 10pm on April 27, 2022.
Twelve days after the men entered the country, Borges-Martins's dead body was found floating near 54 kilograms' worth of cocaine bricks in the Port of Newcastle, 3,800 kilometres from Cullen Bay.
Another 54kg of cocaine was seized after the discovery, and at the time organised crime police said Borges-Martins was wearing specialised dive equipment, including a rebreather, which does not give off bubbles.
Veteran yacht captain James Blake Blee, 63, is accused of organising and facilitating the illegal entry into Australia of both divers, who police allege were specialists hired to retrieve the cocaine.
Mr Blee, who is in custody, has been accused of knowingly giving Borges-Martin faulty scuba gear and is facing a manslaughter charge in relation to the death.
Documents tendered in Newcastle Local Court yesterday allege Mr Blee was "reckless in providing [Borges-Martins] faulty dive equipment, knowing it was faulty".
Mr Blee is also facing two counts of importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, two counts of people smuggling, and one count of dealing with the proceeds of crime.
Australian police say they are working on the case with their counterparts in Indonesia and South America.
In the meantime, Mr Blee's son, Southport man James Lake-Kusviandy Blee, 20, stands accused of two offences, including importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug and supplying a large commercial quantity of a prohibited drug.
He has pleaded not guilty to both charges and is on bail.
Both men had their cases mentioned in Newcastle Local Court yesterday and are due back in court on April 19.
