A Canadian national appeared before Sutherland Local Court yesterday (13 December, 2024) charged after allegedly importing more than 10kg of cocaine in his luggage.
Australian Border Force (ABF) officers located the illicit drugs on Thursday (12 December, 2024) after selecting the man for a baggage examination when he arrived at Sydney Airport on a flight from the United States.
ABF officers found 10 vacuum sealed packages containing a white substance in the luggage.
Initial testing of the substance returned a positive result for cocaine, with an estimated weight of 11.6kg.
The AFP charged the man, 38, with one count of importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, contrary to section 307.1 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth).
The offence carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
He was remanded in custody to appear at Downing Centre Local Court on 12 February, 2025.
AFP Detective Acting Superintendent Dom Stephenson said the AFP and its partners were committed to stopping harmful drugs from reaching Australian communities and putting thousands of lives at risk.
“This was a brazen attempt to smuggle a substantial quantity of cocaine into Australia, which could have resulted in untold damage had it reached our community,” Det A/Superintendent Stephenson said.
“Despite the significant resources dedicated by the AFP and our partners at Australian airports, people still attempt to bring illicit drugs into Australia.
“For those who arrive in our country with drugs in their possession, they should expect to be detected and face the full consequences of the law.”
ABF Superintendent Elke West said ABF officers would continue to work hand in glove with partner agencies to disrupt drug mules smuggling illicit goods into the country.
“As our passenger numbers continue to surge heading into the festive season, our routine targeting and interceptions do not stop,” Supt West said.
“Criminal syndicates will attempt to exploit and manipulate vulnerable travellers in order to bypass border attention.
“Our message is that we see you, and we will work to stamp out the scourge of illicit drugs coming into our country.”
Recent detections at Sydney Airport include an airline employee being charged on 7 December, 2024 with allegedly importing 4.1 litres of gamma butyrolactone (GBL) concealed in his luggage.
An Italian national was charged with allegedly importing 15kg of methamphetamine, also concealed in his luggage, on 22 November, 2024.
They were both charged with importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, contrary to section 307.1 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth), which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
The AFP is responsible for security at nine designated airports – the Gold Coast, Cairns, Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, Brisbane, Darwin, Perth, and Adelaide – with 419 people charged with 574 offences between January 1 and November 30, 2024.
