Mate Stipinovich, Aristides Avlonitis and Karl Whitburn brace for sentencing over Albany cocaine plot

A trio of amateurish drug runners used a small second-hand boat they bought on Facebook Marketplace to try and conquer rough Albany seas before it capsized loaded with more than $100m worth of cocaine — sending them into freezing waters clinging to an esky. Sea sickness, a “lack of planning” and more than 300kg of cocaine resulted in the spectacular criminal failure which led authorities to one of the most bizarre drug seizures in WA history. Former Rebels bikie, Mate Stipinovich and his two deck-hands Aristides Avlonitis and Karl Whitburn each pleaded guilty to a charge of possessing a commercial quantity of the drug following the chain of events in 2023. The trio’s plot crashed and burned when they, posing as unassuming fishermen, alerted authorities to their location with an EPIRB after their boat capsized in the morning of February 1. They were rescued hours after the men were found clinging to an esky in freezing waters. It initially seemed to be a miraculous tale of survival, with the men released from the care of emergency services shortly after. But that quickly changed when police discovered their damaged 7m boat — Aces and Eights — a week later near Peaceful Bay containing multiple packages, each holding about 40kg of cocaine. A District Court sentencing hearing was on Friday told the men collected multiple packages of cocaine thrown overboard from a South American bulk carrier before storing it on the boat. Prosecutor Anthony Eyers said the Australian Federal Police and Australian Border Force officials seized a total of 273kg of cocaine— with a purity between 83 and 86 per cent — from the boat after it capsized. He said drug swabs taken by officers from inside the carrier connected it to the capsized vessel. GPS tracking also showed the Aces and Eight crew in the same waters as the carrier before it capsized. Stipinovich — described by his lawyer as the “low-level organiser” of the plot — was the last of the men to be arrested. He was found by armed police hiding more than six weeks after the cocaine discovery, with the court told he did not contact friends or family amid fears of “retribution” from the unknown mastermind who contracted him to find his crew of two deck-hands. The court was told he approached both Whitburn and Avlonitis over the prospect of making some cash, with the men promised a cut of $100,000. And with no boating experience himself, he turned to Facebook marketplace for a solution. After purchasing a boat, trailer and taking it out for a test-run, Stipinovich crashed the same boat that later capsized into a jetty. “He found out he was entirely incompetent,” his lawyer said “He crashed the vessel into a jetty when coming back from a trip. “He approached the person who gave him the money and indicated he was not the right man and should find someone else.” The plan went ahead anyway, with his two mates travelling down to Albany with him and launching it in the water. But when it all went sour and news broke of their rescue, they never received the funds. All three of the men’s lawyers on Friday said they had no idea what drugs they would collect and how much. The prosecutor said the sheer quantity of drugs — which was thrown from the bulk carrier — likely contributed to the boat’s capsize. Stipinovich left his personal ID on the boat, which was also registered in his own name. Each of the men — who have spent more than 800 days in custody since their arrest — spoke with local police when they were first rescued days before their names and faces were released by the AFP trying to track them down. Neither of the men were sentenced on Friday, with the court awaiting further clarification on Stipinovich’s health. His lawyer claimed his client was previously told he had between one to five years to live as he deals with heart disease. A diary outlining Whitburn’s experience in Hakea prison, penned by Whitburn, was tendered to the court on Friday ahead of his sentencing in September. His lawyer, Michael Tudori, said his client had been subject to harsh triple-bunking conditions while on remand in Hakea prison. He has since been moved to Eastern Goldfields Regional Prison where his situation has improved. The prosecutor said Whitburn was nothing but a “courier,” similar to the offending of Avlonitis, with the pair due to be sentenced in September. Stipinovich will be sentenced in August.