A 19-year-old Sydney man was arrested at Sydney International Airport yesterday evening (20 February 2020) for allegedly importing cocaine, hidden inside wine bottles, shampoo bottles, sachets of soup and a can of shaving cream.
Australian Border Force (ABF) officers selected the man for baggage examination upon his arrival into Australia from Chile yesterday (20 February 2020). Items inside his baggage were subjected to a trace scan for narcotics, returning a positive result for cocaine on two wine bottles and three sachets of soup.
An x-ray examination was also conducted on a can of shaving cream and three bottles of shampoo, each showing anomalies and what appeared to be packages stuffed into each container.
The matter was referred to the Australian Federal Police (AFP) who subsequently arrested the man for drug related offences.
Police forensic experts are in the process of examining the items and extracting the substances to determine the exact weight and purity of the drugs, estimated to be approximately two kilograms of cocaine.
The man has been charged with:
one count of importing a commercial quantity of border controlled drugs, namely cocaine, contrary to section 307.1 of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth); and
one count of possessing a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported border controlled drug, namely cocaine, contrary to section 307.5 of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth).
The maximum penalty for these offences is life imprisonment.
The man is expected to appear before Sydney Central Local Court today (21 February 2020).
