Yacht cocaine bust accused denied bail

A Gold Coast man accused of attempting to traffic a huge cocaine haul was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, his lawyers claim.

Jordan Antic, 67, was arrested after an Australian Federal Police sting that allegedly uncovered 100kg of cocaine last month in the suburb of Coomera.

Police claim Antic was at a cafe in the suburb waiting to pick up 40kg of the drug with an accomplice when he was arrested as part of the sting.

But during a bail hearing in Southport Magistrates Court on Monday, his lawyer Mark Donnelly said Antic was a painter who thought he was heading to the Gold Coast for a job and knew nothing about the drugs.

Federal police allege 100kg of the drug was transported on the yacht Solay from South America before docking in Coomera in August.

On August 24, a raid allegedly uncovered 30kg of the drug concealed on the yacht before another 40kg was allegedly discovered in a car at the cafe where police claim Antic was meeting his co-accused. A further 30kg was found on the yacht following more extensive searches.

In refusing bail, Magistrate Michael Hogan deemed Antic to be a flight risk and said a proposed $15,000 surety wasn't sufficient.

Antic is due back in court on November 23.

Another of the accused, Marko Maksimovic, 29, was granted bail in the Queensland Supreme Court last week on a $200,000 surety.