The body of an Australian pilot killed in a mysterious plane crash in Brazil has remained unclaimed as police in at least five countries are tracking his criminal associates.
Timothy James Clark, 46, was flying over Coruripe, on the coast of the Alagoas region in Brazil’s remote north-east, when his plane crashed around 1.30pm on September 14.
Clark was the sole occupant when he died on board the kit aircraft, surrounded by Australian snacks and 200kg of SpaceX-branded bricks of cocaine .
Clark’s father was unaware of his death when the Daily Mail broke the news to him 48 hours later, although his body has now been officially identified by Brazilian officials.
But Brazilian authorities told local media in the past week that his remains had not yet been claimed by any family member or legal representative.
‘If the situation remains unchanged for 30 days, the corpse may be buried as a homeless person through administrative procedure,’ they told Brazilian media outlets.
Clark’s father did not respond to Daily Mail inquiries on Tuesday about his son’s remains.
Clark’s burial in a pauper’s grave would mark a sad end to a man who was renowned for living the high life and was known as The Broker online.
The Daily Mail revealed at the time of his death that Clark was the director and secretary of a number of investment businesses that operated in Australia and Africa over the past few decades.
Timothy James Clark lived the high life before winding up dead in a plane crash linked to a massive international drug ring
The former high-flying stock market trader, who used the nickname The Broker online, owned companies including Stock Assist Group Pty Ltd and Gurney Capital Nominees Pty Ltd (which both remain registered with ASIC), TJC Nominees Pty Ltd (which was cancelled in July), and Bluenergy Asia Pty Ltd and Tick-Tack-Toe Pty Ltd (deregistered in 2021 and 2018 respectively).
Stock Assist Group owned millions of dollars’ worth of shares in Western Australian mining company Victory Mines and underwrote millions more in Classic Minerals, according to stockholder reports.
It has since been reported Clark may have been involved with sinister characters both in Australia and abroad.
His father revealed that his son had been living in South Africa for years.
Independent news website Bellingcat linked Clark to several underworld identities, including a known associate to high ranking members of the Kinahan cartel.
That associate, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is currently facing charges in Western Australia for importing a multimillion-dollar cocaine shipment.
The operation involved cocaine flights from South America to Australia, mirroring Clark’s routes.
The alleged drug dealer is also a South African resident.
Authorities found 200kg of drugs in the wreckage of the plane fuselage
Tests confirmed the substance to be cocaine and carried Elon Musk’s SpaceX branding
Clark’s wrecked plane in Brazil
Evidence uncovered by Bellingcat, including flight records and communications, indicated Clark collaborated with the alleged drug dealer on drug runs, placing Clark within the cartel’s supply chain.
A 2018 restaurant review posted by Clark included a photo that showed the pair dining together in the Zimbabwean capital of Harare, Bellingcat reported.
The Kinahan cartel is a major Irish transnational organised crime syndicate alleged to be the most powerful in Ireland and one of the largest organised crime groups in the world. It is also established in the UK, Spain, and the United Arab Emirates.
Clark reportedly frequently used Tripadvisor to post reviews, including about chartering a catamaran in Bali and the VIP service at a Saint-Tropez bar where he spent €5,500 on ‘ultra top-shelf’ drinks.
The publication claimed Clark also left Tripadvisor reviews for two Zimbabwean venues – the Amanzi Lodge and Thetford Estate – which Christy ‘Dapper Don’ Kinahan later attended, according to the cartel leader’s own Google Maps profile.
South African news outlet City Press reported that Clark also operated a second aircraft for ‘legitimate’ flights – a Beechcraft King Air 350.
The report coincided with Daily Mail revelations Clark had access to a larger aircraft more suited to the drug drop he was killed performing.
Clark’s plane crashed about an 11-hour flight from the Amazon basin, a region that has become a major trafficking route for cocaine bound for Europe.
Timothy James Clark shared his experiences on a popular travel site
Timothy James Clark on one of many international adventures
Timothy James Clark enjoyed the company of women
Testing identified the drugs found onboard as cocaine, and were wrapped in bricks carrying the SpaceX branding of Elon Musk’s spacecraft and rocket division.
Local law enforcement estimated the seizure was worth around nine million Brazilian Real (around AU$2.5million) to the shipment’s drug lords.
But while it remains unclear where the illicit substances were intended to be sold, 200kg of cocaine would have an estimated street value of $80million in Australia.
The Sunday Times reported Clark and his associate’s alleged activities suggested the Kinahan cartel had opened new smuggling routes for smaller shipments following a succession of seizures of cocaine consignments by police forces across Europe.
