A male customs officer in Vava'u has been charged with attempted fraudulent conversion in relation to using a credit card belonging to Milan Rindzak (35), whose remains were found on the wreckage of the drugs yacht  'JeReVe'  on Luatafito Atoll in November last year.

Acting Police Commissioner Taniela Faletau said today that the accused is charged with two counts of attempted fraudulent conversion. Police did not release his name.

He appeared at the Vava'u Magistrate's Court on January 14 and the hearing was adjourned to February.

Police reported last year that the customs officer unsuccessfully attempted to use the credit card at the Westpac Bank, Neiafu, EFTPOS machine on 10 November  2012, three days after Milan's badly decomposed body was found with over 200kgs of cocaine on the yacht.

The customs officer allegedly used the card which was taken by the machine. He came to the bank later on November 12 to retrieve it, but bank officials were suspicious and police were notified.

Local divers in the Southern part of the Vava'u Group spotted the yacht and found the remains on board on 7 November 2012. Customs officers later seized cocaine worth an estimated AUD$116 million concealed in the hull. The cocaine was transported from Tonga to Australia for destruction in November last year.