Two men sat in a van and swore with frustration after allegedly being unable to find 48 kilos of cocaine hidden in a shipping container, a jury has been told.
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Jordan Roman Brennan and Brendan John Sipple had allegedly searched the container on June 12, 2020 looking for 42 packages of cocaine concealed in its refrigeration unit, crown prosecutor Patrick Wilson told the Brisbane Supreme Court jury on Monday.
"The defendants travelled repeatedly from the Gold Coast to the Port of Brisbane, often late at night, spending considerable amounts of time in the vicinity of where the container was located," Mr Wilson said.
Brennan and Sipple have both pleaded not guilty to attempting to possess a commercial quantity of unlawfully imported drugs.
Police devices attached to the defendant's Hyundai iLoad van tracked their movements and recorded their conversations.
Mr Wilson said Brennan was recorded at 2.22am on June 11, 2020 talking to Sipple about searching a shipping container on a previous occasion.
"We had so many hours there that if we had the correct tools from the start, brother, it was ours," Brennan said.
Sipple then said: "That's a big earn, lad. A big, big earn."
Mr Wilson said dock workers in Belgium had found the packages, containing between 82 and 96 per cent pure cocaine, in February and the drugs were seized by police.
The container arrived at Brisbane on June 6 under surveillance by Queensland and federal police.
Mr Wilson said the port's yard was stacked high with many thousands of containers but Brennan and Sipple were interested in only one.
"What is in dispute in this trial is what (Brennan and Sipple's) intention was when they entered the yard in the early hours of June 12," Mr Wilson said.
The listening device in the defendants' van recorded their discussion after leaving the yard.
"I'm really pissed off you've done these two with me and you've got nothing to show for it. I want to make these f***ing c***s to give you something," Brennan said.
Mr Wilson said Brennan's DNA was later found on a glove left beside the container the defendants were looking for, and panels on the container's sides had been removed.
Brennan's defence barrister Saul Holt told the jury it was clear his client had attended the yard for an illegal purpose.
"This is not a court of morals, it is a court of law. You will be legitimately already disgusted by the behaviour (Brennan) engaged in. You will hate the idea of cocaine being imported into Australia and the harm it can do," Mr Holt said.
Mr Holt said Brennan did not access the container or attempt to extract cocaine and the jury would find that meant he was not guilty of the crime he had been charged with.
Sipple's defence barrister Josh Underwood said the trial was not about whether his client had entered the yard or committed any other offence, but whether he had accessed the shipping container.
Australian Associated Press
