Five Asian men have been sentenced to between 23 and 26 years in prison for their involvement in smuggling 182 kilograms of the drug ice into WA in 2016.

The Supreme Court of WA heard the importation was the work of an international drug syndicate, with operations run from both Hong Kong and Malaysia.

The methamphetamine was shipped to Australia on board a wooden fishing vessel named the Mega Profit II.

The Mega Profit II boat was the focus of the drug smuggling operation. ( ABC News: Sarah Taillier )

The 30-metre-long vessel was in poor condition, making the two-week long journey particularly perilous.

The drugs — packaged into 15 black bags — were taken off the boat in a smaller vessel around 5:00am on May 1 and transported to a remote beach location near Port Denison in WA's Mid West.

A group of four men met the boat at the shore to collect the drugs, which was then taken to a number of "safe houses" across Perth.

The Mega Profit II —which had been under surveillance by Australian authorities in the days before the drug drop — was intercepted by water police later that same afternoon.

'Well-planned' syndicate

While no drugs were discovered on board, further investigations led police to raid a number of properties across the Perth metropolitan area, including in Embleton and East Cannington where the drugs were recovered.

The court heard the drugs had been packaged into smaller bags and redistributed into seven suitcases.

Analysis found the purity of the methamphetamine to be between 79 and 80 per cent, with an estimated street value of around $91 million.

A total of 182 kilograms of ice was brought in aboard the vessel. ( ABC News: Chris Lewis )

A total of 14 Chinese and Malaysian nationals were arrested and charged in May 2016, with seven convicted during a trial last year.

Justice Fiannaca said the importation was the result of a "well-planned and organised" drug syndicate involving two main groups.

The first was those onboard the Mega Profit II, and the other group was referred to as the "land-based group" — those sent to Australia to put in place the necessary resources.

He said it was clear each group had an awareness of the other, including communications between the two setting the GPS location for the remote drop-off.

Both groups had given "no regard to the significant harm" they were causing by bringing the drugs to Western Australia, Justice Fiannaca said.

Ringleaders get up to 27 years' jail

Among those sentenced on Tuesday was Chinese national Kai Cheong Law, who had been onboard the Mega Profit II.

Justice Fiannaca said Law had been in charge of the crew with the responsibility of reporting back to senior people in the syndicate.

Law was sentenced to 26 years' jail with a 16-year non-parole period, while Malaysian nationals Fook Choi Ching and Chee Seng Tang were each sentenced to 23 years with a 15-year minimum.

Kai Cheong Law (l) and Teck Kong Wong were both jailed. ( Supplied: WA Supreme Court )

The Malaysians were among the four men who had met the boat at the shore.

Kinboon Yong, also from Malaysia, was sentenced to 26 years with a 17-year non-parole period.

Justice Fiannaca said Yong — who met the shore group at a rest stop on the way to Perth where the drugs were redistributed across three vehicles — had been involved in the preparation of the drugs for distribution and served a more senior role than Ching and Tang.

Singaporean Teck Kong Wong was sentenced to 26 years' jail for aiding and abetting the importation of drugs.

Justice Fiannaca said Wong played a significant role in the operation.

All of the men have already served more than two years of their sentence.

A sixth man was sentenced separately to 17 years and three months for his part in the importation.

Yuen Kwan Chong, from Malaysia, was part of the "land based" group and was involved in selecting the remote beach where the drugs were dropped off.

He also collected the bags of drugs from the beach and helped take them to "safe houses" across Perth where they were re-packaged.

Chong, 26, will have to serve 11 years and three months before he can be released.