Olympian Nathan Baggaley behind bars over alleged plot to import 600kg of cocaine
Detectives arrest Nathan Baggaley at his home in Byron Bay in NSW in 2019. Photo: ABC News
Olympic kayaker Nathan Baggaley has been remanded in custody, charged over an attempt to smuggle almost 600 kilograms of cocaine into the country.
The 43-year-old dual silver medallist was arrested by members of the Queensland Joint Organised Crime Taskforce (QJOCTF) at his home at Byron Bay in far northern New South Wales on Thursday.
He is accused of aiding and abetting the alleged importation of the drugs.
His younger brother, Dru Baggaley, and co-accused Anthony Draper were arrested after a sea chase off the New South Wales north coast last July.
They were in an inflatable dinghy and police alleged the drugs were thrown overboard.
The Australian Federal Police said the arrest was the result of an ongoing investigation and evidence collection over the past 11 months.
Officers seized cash, a quantity of white powder believed to be an illicit substance and encrypted mobile phones.
Nathan Baggaley was extradited to Queensland yesterday and appeared before the Brisbane Magistrates Court this morning where he didn’t make an application for bail.
The case was adjourned until next month.
