A West Australian woman is scheduled to appear in the Brisbane Magistrates Court today (2 February 2024) charged with allegedly importing about 1.5kg of heroin concealed in her luggage.
The Kardinya woman, 43, was stopped by Australian Border Force (ABF) officers at Brisbane International Airport on Monday 8 January, 2024, after arriving on a flight from Singapore.
ABF officers discovered anomalies in the woman's suitcase and on further examination allegedly located about 1.5kg of a substance hidden in the lining.
A presumptive test of the substance by ABF officers returned a positive result for heroin.
Further forensic testing will be undertaken by the AFP to determine the exact weight and purity of the substance.
The AFP were contacted and the woman was arrested.
The woman was charged with importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled substance, namely heroin, contrary to section 307.1 of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth) and remanded in custody to face court today.
The maximum penalty for this offence is up to 25 years' imprisonment.
AFP Superintendent Adrian Telfer said the AFP worked closely with the ABF to protect the community and prevent any amount of illicit drugs from being brought into Australia.
"This amount of heroin has an estimated potential street value of $525,000 and could have accounted for about 7,500 individual hits of heroin, had it reached the Australian community," he said.
"This arrest should serve as yet another clear warning to anyone attempting to bring illicit drugs into Australia - you will be caught and you will be brought before the court."
ABF Acting Commander Jim Ley praised officers at the border for their detection, and for the role they play in protecting the Australian community from the scourge of illegal drugs.
"Working together with our close partners including the AFP, Border Force officers will remain uncompromising in detecting and deterring these illegal attempts to bring dangerous drugs to our shores," Acting Commander Ley said.
"Our message is very simple - do not attempt to do this or we will catch you and you will face the full legal consequences."
