Three men caught in one of Australia’s largest cocaine busts have each been sentenced to 30 years’ jail.

German man Holger Sander, 49, and Australians Terrance Elfar, 54, and Simon Golding, 46, were sentenced in Brisbane on Wednesday for trying to smuggle 400kg of cocaine into the country in 2010.

Supreme court Justice Roslyn Atkinson said the “brazen” offending of the men was motivated purely by profit, and could have caused great damage to the Australian community.

“You were all aware of the huge quantity of drugs involved,” Atkinson said. “It’s perfectly clear that the only motive was to make money.”

All three must serve lengthy periods behind bars before they can apply for parole – 16 years in Sander’s case, 18 years for Golding and 20 years for Elfar.

The court heard in August 2010, Sander, a former professional skateboarder, sailed from South America in a catamaran named Edelweiss laden with drugs.

Just over two months later the cargo was transferred to Elfar and Golding’s yacht, the Mayhem of Eden, during a high seas rendezvous more than 500km off the south-east Queensland coast.

However Australian authorities were watching after being tipped off by the US drug enforcement agency.

Police pounced on Golding and Elfar when the Mayhem of Eden docked at Scarborough, north of Brisbane, while the Edelweiss was intercepted at sea.

Commonwealth prosecutor Glen Rice said the 400kg haul contained 283kg of pure cocaine and had an estimated street value of up to $240m.

“The quantity was vast and they knew the value would be enormous,” he said.

Sander, Golding and Elfar were each found guilty of importing a commercial quantity of cocaine at the end of a trial last month.

Sander’s crewmate on the Edelweiss, Roberto Serna, is serving a 25-year sentence after pleading guilty to the same offence last year.