A 40 -year-old Malaysian national will appear in the Perth Magistrates Court today charged over the alleged importation of 3.9 kilograms of methylamphetamine hidden in the walls of an esky.
The man was identified by Australian Border Force (ABF) officers when he arrived at Perth International Airport on 27 October 2018 on a flight from Kuala Lumpur.
ABF examination of the man's esky returned an alleged presumptive positive result for meth and a subsequent x-ray showed a number of packages hidden in the structure of the item.
The man's visa was cancelled by the ABF before he was arrested by Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers.
He was charged with importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, namely methylamphetamine, contrary to section 307.1 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth).
The maximum penalty for this offence is life imprisonment.
ABF Regional Commander for WA, Rod O'Donnell, said ABF officers are constantly on alert for illicit drugs coming through Perth Airport.
"Our officers are highly trained and use a range of assessment techniques to identify travellers of interest and then utilise cutting edge x-ray and detection technology to identify prohibited items crossing the border," Commander O'Donnell said.
AFP State Manager Western Australia Greg Harrigan said Australia's strong economy compared to the rest of the world makes us an attractive market for illicit drugs and organised criminals from around the world.
"Drugs are a great burden on our community, especially through drug–related crime and the associated health and social costs. This arrest shows that police and our partners remain diligent in identifying, arresting and prosecuting those involved in this type of activity."
