In short:
Peter John Howlett has been refused bail after a Mackay Magistrate held concerns over his safety and ties to an organised crime network.
The 32-year-old is accused of using a fishing trawling business to smuggle drugs across the border.
What’s next:
The matter has been adjourned until March 10.
A New South Wales man has been denied bail over alleged drug smuggling, with a magistrate concerned there was a “strong chance” he could be killed for allegedly squandering hundreds of thousands of dollars from the illegal trade.
Peter John Howlett, 32, applied for bail in the Mackay Magistrates Court after being arrested by the Australian Federal Police and accused of buying a fishing trawler to smuggle illicit substances.
Mr Howlett and his partner, a 37-year-old-woman, have both been charged with dealing with money and property worth $100,000 or more, intending the property to be used as an instrument of crime, namely the importation of border-controlled drugs.
The court was told today that the man had allegedly been given $500,000 by a “well-resourced, transnational” crime network to facilitate a smuggling activity.
Commonwealth prosecutor Hugh Russell said Mr Howlett had spent about half of the funds to buy a fishing trawler in February 2025.
Mr Russell said his client had allegedly spent the remainder on gambling and the use of drugs, including methamphetamine and cocaine.
