The AFP and Australian Border Force (ABF) are urging young people to think twice before smuggling drugs in their luggage for cash, after law enforcement operations seized 280kg of illicit drugs destined for Australia since June.
Known as the suitcase courier methodology, drug trafficking organisations will recruit individuals in Australia and offer them money in exchange for travelling overseas and bringing back illicit drugs in their luggage.
The couriers, the majority under 30, are provided instructions over encrypted communication platforms and offered about $30,000-$60,000 to collect and deliver the drugs, or a lesser amount for the recruitment of future couriers.
They are often told someone will meet them at an overseas location to provide the drugs, and upon their return to Australia, someone from the drug trafficking organisation will meet them to collect the drugs.
In Australia, the maximum penalty for importing border-controlled drugs is life imprisonment.
The AFP launched an investigation into this methodology in June, 2025, after a New Zealand man was charged for allegedly smuggling 10kg of cocaine into Sydney in his suitcase.
Since then, through the AFP's international network, more than 280kg of illicit drugs including cocaine, methamphetamine and ketamine, destined for Australia has been seized by authorities domestically and overseas across four continents.
The most recent arrest occurred on 20 December, 2025, after a Botany man and Blacktown woman were charged with allegedly importing and possessing 19.5kg of methamphetamine, after arriving at Sydney Airport from south-east Asia.
The pair appeared before Parramatta Local Court on 21 December, 2025, and was refused bail and remanded in custody to appear before the same court on 4 March, 2026. The man and woman are among more than a dozen people charged in Australia and offshore for drug offences, including:
- An Australian man, 28, was charged in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 8 December, 2025, for allegedly possessing 15kg of cocaine in his luggage;
- A Queensland woman was charged with allegedly importing 39kg of chilli-covered methamphetamine when she arrived at Sydney Airport from Los Angeles on 6 November, 2025;
- A Canberra man, 19, was charged in November, 2025, for allegedly importing 16kg of methamphetamine from Canada;
- Two Australian women were charged in Vancouver, Canada, in November, 2025, for each allegedly possessing 21kg of methamphetamine in their luggage destined for Sydney;
- Two New Zealand nationals were charged in October, 2025, for allegedly importing 40kg of cocaine in their suitcases from Johannesburg, South Africa;
- Five people, aged between 23 and 27, were charged in London, United Kingdom, in August, 2025, for each allegedly attempting to export between 20kg-27kg of cocaine to Australia;
- A French woman, 18, was charged at Perth Airport in June, 2025, for allegedly importing 10kg of methamphetamine; and
- A Swiss national, 21, was sentenced in October, 2025, for importing 25kg of cocaine in his luggage in January, 2025.
AFP Commander Kate Ferry said anyone who offered money to move illicit substances was not to be trusted, and the reward was not worth the consequences.
"With the holiday season around the corner and more people travelling overseas, we urge Australians to think about the consequences they may face if caught smuggling drugs," Commander Ferry said.
"Trafficking drugs in your luggage, either knowingly or unknowingly, is a criminal offence, and if caught, you face losing some of the best years of your life sitting in a prison cell either in Australia or overseas.
"Criminal offences will significantly impact your life and may dictate future job prospects, where you can travel, and who you may interact with.
"The AFP and its international network, which has a footprint in more than 30 countries, is committed to working with foreign law enforcement to stop drug trafficking at its source before it reaches Australia.
"We will continue to monitor this methodology and work with foreign police and ABF to disrupt and identify the criminal organisations behind this tactic."
ABF Acting Commander Geoff Quinn said anyone tempted to act as a courier should know that the Australian border was not an easy target.
"ABF officers use advanced screening technology, intelligence sharing and offshore partnerships to identify and monitor attempts to import illicit substances. You are being watched long before you land in an Australian airport," Acting Commander Quinn said.
"No amount of money is worth the risk of losing your freedom. Those who agree to carry drugs in their luggage face life-changing consequences, including lengthy prison sentences and, for foreign nationals, it can impact future Australian visa applications.
"Every day, our teams across the country work tirelessly at airports, mail centres and seaports to harden the border against organised crime, combining intelligence, world-class technology, officer intuition and cooperation with our international and domestic law enforcement partners to disrupt criminal networks.
"We also rely on the community to report suspicious behaviour to Border Watch. Every tip helps us build intelligence and prevent dangerous and illegal substances from entering Australia. Reports can be made anonymously."
