Defence barristers close cases in David Campbell, Tristan Waters trial

David Edward John Campbell, 55, was "manipulated" by the Australian Federal Police and threatened by a cartel after a shipping container, concealing 1.28 tonnes of cocaine, was seized at the border, the lawyer told a NSW District Court jury on Thursday.

The trial of Campbell and Tristan Egon Sebastian Waters, 39, first started in May with the jury hearing 22 days of evidence.

The Canberra region businessmen, along with co-accused Rohan Peter Arnold, are accused of conspiring to import and then possess an estimated $1.5 billion worth of cocaine, which was hidden in steel sleeves shipped in a container from China.

Campbell has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to import a border-controlled drug, and conspiracy to possess a border-controlled drug.

Waters has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to import a border-controlled drug, and guilty to conspiracy to possess the drug.

The container was seized at the border in April 2017 and reported missing by police, starting an investigation which spanned several countries.

The men were arrested in Belgrade, Serbia, in February 2018 after allegedly attempting to hand over money to undercover officers who claimed to have possession of the container.

Campbell's barrister, Ronald Driels, started his closing address to the jury on Thursday.

He said Campbell had chosen to take the stand last week and had given evidence for four days straight.

"He sat there and faced the prosecution," Mr Driels said.

"An ordinary citizen versus a man in gown and wig."

While giving evidence, Campbell claimed he was acting "under duress" to find the missing container.

Campbell told the court a cartel in China believed he had stolen the shipping container and they wanted it back.

On Thursday, Mr Driels said the jury now had about 2500 pages of evidence, which included a transcript of tapped phone calls, messages and other communications.

"It's full of expletives. It gives you an insight into the man, sex, a bit of dirty talk here and there," he said.

"I'm talking about an ordinary person."

The defence barrister told the jury Campbell's claims were "not absurd, not a fairytale" and his client "was used".

"The AFP decided to seek major players in an international criminal syndicate, not seek somebody like Mr Campbell," Mr Driels said.

"They squeezed, they put the pressure on, they manipulated to achieve what they wanted.

"They were squeezing an Australian family."

Mr Driels told the jury that, during the nine-and-a-half month police investigation, there were "lies on lies, agendas, everybody with an agenda".

"It was a strategy by this international syndicate to try and manipulate the police, who were trying to manipulate the syndicate," he said.

"And who's caught in the middle? A citizen, who you've heard served his country, served in the army.

"He's not a coward."

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During his closing address, Waters' barrister, David Dalton SC, told the jury his client was "playing the role of the heavy" and had not been involved "all the way through".

Closing the Crown case on Monday, prosecutor Sean Flood argued Waters was "high up" in the international syndicate involved with the drugs.

Mr Flood said a series of encrypted messages, with an unknown person using the moniker "John Wick" or "gov", showed Waters was in charge of syndicate members in both Australia and Serbia.

However, on Thursday, Mr Dalton said "the evidence at no time ... suggests [Waters] was on the same level as gov".

"[There is also] no evidence to support in a coherent way that Mr Waters was financially involved," Mr Dalton said.

"It's Arnold who has the majority of the discussions in relation to the attempted financial transfer in Belgrade."

The trial continues.

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