The man is set to face court after attempting to smuggle 99 kilograms of dangerous drugs into the country by the Australian Federal Police.
A New South Wales man faces the prospect of life imprisonment after attempting to import 99 kilograms of methamphetamine into Australia.
The 39-year-old appeared in court on March 28th.
The investigation began last October when an Australian Border Forces (ABF) examiner intercepted a suspicious shipment from China to Sydney.
Authorities detected a drug hidden within four boxes labeled “universal transmission gear.”
When the test was confirmed to be methamphetamine, it was removed and replaced with an inert material, and the commission was delivered to a private property facility in Gilawian, western Sydney.
In early January, surveillance footage captured two men who entered the storage unit. One of them was an arrested man and is said to have handled a box containing drugs.
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Police later raided the home and seized items including cell phones, cash, replica firearms, prohibited weapons and suspected drugs.
He is charged with one count of trying to own commercial volumes of border control drugs, but the second man is not charged.
Methamphetamine seized during this surgery is part of much larger international trade. AFP detective Principal Peter Fogerty emphasized that 99 kilograms of methane equals roughly 990,000 road-level transactions.
“Methamphetamine is a devastating drug, and the harm it causes is spreading beyond users to affect loved ones and the wider community,” Fogerty said.
“Criminals are indifferent to halt and fill their pockets to import harmful drugs into Australia and are indifferent to the harm they cause.”
The seized 99 kilograms of methamphetamine were found in a box labeled “transmission gear.” Courtesy of the Australian Federal Police
The arrest highlights the important role that international syndicates play, particularly the Chinese Triad and Mexican cartels, in synthetic drugs trafficked to Australia.
According to a global initiative against cross-border organized crime, Australia remains one of the most profitable consumer markets in the drug world, with the market flooding with precursors managed by Myanmar’s China.
“Controlling the supply chain is Asian syndicates, Central and South American cartels, outlaw motorcycle gangs, and minor and opportunistic criminals from Europe and the Middle East. ”
Since the 1990s, methamphetamine produced in southern China has generally been trafficked to Australia.
“The 2015 anti-drug agreement between Canberra and Beijing was able to put a dent in the deal,” the report said.
Although this initially slowed the flow of methane from China, traffickers are increasingly heading towards Myanmar due to the chemicals used to produce meta. These drugs are shipped to Australia by well-organized Chinese syndicates.
“Chinese precursors (chemicals used in the manufacture of drugs) that were trafficked from Myanmar have since been used to produce methamphetamine, which is exported by the Triad to Australia and New Zealand,” the report concluded.
In fiscal year 2023/24, countries such as Myanmar, Fiji, Colombia and Mexico were responsible for some of the biggest attacks of Australia-bound illegal drugs, including 20,561 kg from Myanmar, 4,270 kg from Fiji and 3,957 kg from Mexico.
AFP’s efforts to curb this trade are continuing, with recent reports revealing that more than 39 tons of illicit drugs have helped prevent the reach of global markets last year.
This includes more than 24 tons of cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine targeting Australia.
