A Chinese and Malaysian syndicate used a boat called the Mega Profit II to drop off 182 kilograms of the drug ice on a remote West Australian beach, a Perth court has been told.

Thirteen Malaysian and Chinese men are now on trial in the West Australian Supreme Court accused of importing the drug with an estimated street value of up to $182 million.

Prosecutor Richard Maidment told the court the importation was financed and coordinated in China and Malaysia, and the drugs were dropped off on a stretch of beach 30 kilometres south of Port Denison in the Mid West in May 2016.

Mr Maidment said eight of the accused men were crew members on what he called "the mothership" Mega Profit II, which was a Chinese trawler he said may have been named by "someone with a sense of humour or intent".

The other five accused men were part of what he called "the shore party" who had come to Australia "to ensure the drugs were safely landed, housed and packaged for distribution into Australia's black market".

The trawler was intercepted off Geraldton after the drugs were dropped off, the court heard. ( ABC News: Chris Lewis )

The court heard the boat had been under surveillance by Australian authorities in the days before the drugs were dropped off.

Mr Maidment said the drugs had been packed into 15 black bags, brought to the beach by the Mega Profit II's tender boat and collected by some of the "shore party", before being driven to Perth.

He told the court how during the journey it was discovered one of the bags had been left behind, and so they went back to the beach "at great speed" to retrieve it.

Mr Maidment said the drugs were taken to "safe houses" at various suburbs in the metropolitan area.

Those properties were subsequently raided by police later in May, and the drugs — with a purity of between 79 and 80 per cent — were recovered.

The court heard the Mega Profit II and its crew were intercepted off the coast of Geraldton not long after the drugs had been dropped off.

All 13 men, who are following proceedings with the assistance of interpreters, pleaded not guilty to charges of importing drugs.

Their trial is expected to run for 10 weeks.