A scuba diver and marine tour operator has been arrested on narcotics charges at Cairns airport in Queensland while trying to board a flight to Singapore, according to Australian police.
He was detained in connection with investigations into the discovery of a rebreather diver’s body beside packages of cocaine in New South Wales on 9 May, as reported on Divernet.
Also read: Sentenced: Man behind drugs plot that left CCR diver dead
Arrested two days later by Queensland Police with the Australian Border Force, James “Captain Jimmy” Blee, 62 and from Queensland, was charged with importing a large commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug, and large commercial drug supply. He was remanded in custody, pending a request for his extradition to New South Wales.
Blee runs North Queensland Superyacht Marine & Tours, which arranges “adventure activity” programmes including scuba diving for superyacht owners and captains visiting Australian and south-east Asian waters. His personal biography describes him as a dedicated conservationist and a keen diver who has logged more than 3,000 dives, mainly in eastern Indonesia.
Police now believe that a second diver was involved in operations to remove a consignment of cocaine from the hull of a ship docked in Newcastle, New South Wales, although they have also stated that Blee is not at present thought to have been that diver. A task force, Strike Force Groove, has been set up to co-ordinate continuing state and federal investigations.
