This is a joint release between the Australian Federal Police and Australian Border Force
A Victorian man is expected to face the Sydney Downing Centre today (14 July, 2023) over his alleged involvement in a transnational organised crime syndicate importing methamphetamine into Australia.
The AFP has charged the man, 31, with attempting to possess 214kg of methamphetamine, which was allegedly hidden in a consignment of gas heaters sent from Malaysia in December, 2022.
Police arrested the man last month (June) and he is the second person charged as a result of an investigation which began in December after Australian Border Force (ABF) officers in South Australia examined the heaters and allegedly found the drugs hidden inside.
The AFP executed a controlled delivery of the consignment to a property in NSW.
While monitoring the delivery address, the AFP will allege the Victorian man went to the premises twice to collect items from the consignment before taking them to a residential property in Bella Vista, in north-western Sydney.
The AFP executed a warrant at the Bella Vista property in December and charged the alleged resident, a man, 35, with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported border controlled drug, contrary to sections 307.5(1), 11.1(1) and 11.2A(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth).
As a result of ongoing inquiries, the AFP executed a search warrant on 22 June, 2023 at the home of the Victorian man and arrested him. He faced Heidelberg Magistrates Court, where the AFP successfully applied to have him extradited to Sydney.
The man first appeared in a Sydney court on 23 June (2023), where he was formally charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported border controlled drug, contrary to section 307.5 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth).
The maximum penalty for this offence is life imprisonment.
AFP Commander Kate Ferry said preventing 214kg of methamphetamine from reaching Australian communities was a significant win in the fight against the international illicit drug trade.
"It is testament to the AFP's cooperation with ABF and other partners, in particular the Royal Malaysian Police and Customs Department," Commander Ferry said.
"This amount of methamphetamine could have been sold as more than three million individual street deals, which would have diverted more than $192 million from the legitimate economy," Commander Ferry said.
"Transnational organised crime networks that supply these substances pose a significant threat to Australia's economy, our security and our way of life.
"Methamphetamine use contributes to road crashes, violence in our suburbs and in our homes.
"Across Australia, 12,400 people were treated at hospital every day in 2020-21 for methamphetamine-related issues - 33 people every day on average.*
"The AFP is working tirelessly to protect Australians from the harm caused by these illicit drugs and ensure these transnational crime groups do not profit at the expense of our communities.
"We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to pursue criminals no matter what state or country they operate in."
ABF Acting Superintendent Tom Williams said criminals attempted all kinds of creative means to smuggle dangerous drugs across Australia's border, and ABF officers formed the first line of defence in their interception.
"Australia's border is a critical national asset. We are acutely conscious of this fact and committed to protecting it and ensuring criminals fail in their attempts to undermine its integrity," Acting Superintendent Williams said.
*Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report.
