Not-so-happy New Year – man to face court over 29kg meth seizure

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2014-01-01

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has charged a 25-year-old Canley Heights man with attempting to possess approximately 29kg of methamphetamine disguised as vitamin capsules.

He is scheduled to appear before Parramatta Local Court this morning following his arrest.

On Saturday, Australian Customs and Border Protection Service (ACBPS) officers at the NSW Air Cargo facility examined a consignment of two boxes from the United States labelled as nutrition vitamins.

The examination found 735 vitamin bottles, containing a total of more than 48,500 capsules with a white powdery substance. Initial testing identified this substance as methamphetamine.

The AFP took carriage of the investigation and subsequently executed a search warrant in Canley Heights, after which the man was arrested.

Manager Crime Operations Jennifer Hurst said this arrest was a strong reminder of the risks associated with attempting to import illicit drugs into Australia.

“Despite sophisticated efforts to evade detection, Australian authorities will continue to work together to identify and disrupt those attempting to import drugs and profit from this activity,” Ms Hurst said.

"The size of this seizure and the amount of harm it could potentially have caused cannot be understated.”

ACBPS Acting National Manager Cargo Operations, John Ikin, also sent a strong warning to potential importers of illicit drugs. “No matter how sophisticated the concealment, our skilled officers have the technology and expertise to detect these dangerous drugs at the border,” Mr Ikin said.

“Our solid partnership with the AFP allows our agencies to successfully disrupt criminal activity of this nature, which subsequently stops dangerous drugs reaching the community.”

The maximum penalty for this offence is 25 years imprisonment and/or a fine of up to $1,275,000. The man was charged with one count of attempting to possess a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, contrary to section 307.5 by virtue of section 11.1 of the Criminal Code Act 1995.

The maximum penalty for this offence is 25 years imprisonment and/or a fine of up to $1,275,000.

Source: Australian Federal Police

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