Aristides Avlonitis has been sentenced to more than nine years in prison for his role in a bungled attempt to import over 229 kilograms of cocaine into Western Australia that ended with him and two accomplices clinging to an esky in wild seas off Albany.
Avlonitis, 39, was extradited from the Northern Territory after the 2023 incident, in which he, Mate Stipinovich, and Karl Whitburn retrieved nine large packages of cocaine from a bulk carrier before their boat, Aces and Eights, sank in rough conditions.
The trio were rescued after hours in the water wearing life jackets and holding onto the esky.
Police later recovered the wreck and discovered more than 270 individual packages of cocaine.
District Court Judge Nicholas Egan described the men as “Keystone criminals,” saying they were “not the masterminds or even high up in the hierarchy.”
The court heard Avlonitis had agreed to act as deckhand for $50,000, while Stipinovich was promised $100,000 but had no boating licence, little experience, and had purchased the unsuitable vessel for $72,000.
Whitburn became too seasick to assist with the retrieval, and the judge said the boat may have sunk after seawater entered the fuel line or cracked the hull.
Egan noted that none of the men profited from the operation, calling their potential payments “a pittance compared to the value of the drugs.”
Avlonitis must serve at least six years before being eligible for parole. Stipinovich received 12 years and three months, and Whitburn eight years.
Source: ABC.
