A man will appear in court today on drug importation charges after allegedly importing cocaine valued at more than $600,000 into Sydney last week.
On Wednesday 1 May and Saturday 4 May, two separate consignments containing children’s books arrived into Sydney from Portugal.
The two consignments were x-rayed and inspected by Australian Border Force (ABF) officers at the International Mail Gateway in Sydney, where presumptive testing returned positive results for cocaine, with a total weight of 1.72kg.
The cocaine has an estimated potential street value of up to $645,000.
The matter was referred to NSW Police Force and detectives from Eastern Suburbs Police Area Command commenced an investigation.
Following inquiries, investigators arrested a 31-year-old man on New South Head Road, Vaucluse, about 5pm on Friday 10 May.
Shortly after the arrest, detectives, with assistance from the Proactive Crime Team and Strike Force ODIN, executed a search warrant at a home on Old South Head Road, Vaucluse.
During the search, police allegedly located and seized electronic items and documents, as well as a small amount of cannabis.
The man was taken to Waverley Police Station and charged with import commercial quantity of border-controlled drug and issued with two cannabis cautions.
He appeared at Parramatta Local Court on Saturday 11 May where he was formally refused bail to appear at Central Local Court today (Tuesday 14 May).
