Two foreign nationals, accused of ingesting more than 200 pellets of cocaine in a bid to smuggle the illicit drugs into Australia, are expected to appear in the NSW Local Court - Bail Division on Monday (26 January, 2026).
Australian Border Force (ABF) officers intercepted the United Kingdom national, 26, and a Netherlands national, 28, for a targeted examination after their arrival on board an international flight at Sydney Airport on Thursday (22 January, 2026).
During the interview ABF officers suspected that both men were internally concealing border controlled drugs.
ABF officers referred the matter to the AFP. AFP responded and conveyed both men to hospital for medical treatment, where they remained under police guard throughout the weekend.
During their hospitalisation, each of the men expelled 106 pellets, a total of 212 packages, weighing a combined total of 2.33kg.
That total amount of cocaine could have accounted for about 11,650 street deals, with a total estimated potential street value of more than $757,000 dollars.
The AFP will allege in court that the pair swallowed the pellets before travelling to Australia in a bid to conceal the drugs from authorities.
The AFP charged both men with one count each of importing a marketable quantity of a border controlled drug, namely cocaine, contrary to section 307.2 of the Criminal Code (Cth).
The maximum penalty for this offence is life imprisonment.
AFP Detective Superintendent Morgen Blunden said anyone who concealed drugs internally risked more than substantial jail time.
"Drug couriers are risking their own lives by transporting these drugs, if any pellets rupture in a courier's stomach or another part of their body, it would cause them to overdose," Det. Supt. Blunden said.
"We also want to remind people of the unhygienic way illicit drugs are produced and transported.
"The AFP is working closely with ABF and other partners to prevent drugs reaching our communities and ensure air travel is not used to facilitate criminal activity."
ABF Acting Superintendent Neil Singh said anyone attempting to import illicit substances by internal concealment was putting their health and freedom in danger.
"The internal secretion of these drugs is an incredibly dangerous practice, with the potential to cause lifelong damage to organs and could prove fatal," Acting Supt Singh said.
"Our officers not only work off intelligence-led targeting for this practice, but also by observing passenger behaviour in and around the terminal, watching how they interact with other passengers and crew members.
"We have the technology, skills and ability to detect and disrupt the importation of illicit drugs no matter how they are concealed, rest assured our ABF officers are on the lookout and have the knowledge and intel before you even step off the plane."
