A Malaysian national has this week appeared before court after being arrested and charged by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) for allegedly importing methamphetamine concealed in books
Earlier this month, Australian Border Force (ABF) officers in Melbourne targeted four air cargo consignments, containing several books sent from Malaysia, Australian Federal Police say.
ABF officers conducted an examination of the consignments which identified inconsistences. Further examination, with the help of an ABF detector dog, revealed a crystalline substance impregnated in the pages. A presumptive test indicated a positive reaction to methamphetamine.
Due to the sophisticated concealment method, further forensic examinations will be conducted to determine the exact weight and purity of the substance.
Earlier this week, the Australian Federal Police (AFP), with support from the ABF, executed a search warrant at a Clayton residence. A 28-year-old man was arrested and charged with four counts of importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, namely methamphetamine, contrary to section 307.1 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth).
During the search, the ABF officers detained two unlawful non-citizens at the Clayton residence. They were transferred into immigration detention, pending removal from Australia.
"This result and these interceptions are an excellent demonstration of the collaborative work done by the AFP and other law enforcement agencies to disrupt the importation of illicit drugs," AFP Acting Commander Peter Bodel said.
ABF Acting Regional Commander Victoria, Bjorn Roberts, said the ABF is proud of the work our officers do, around the clock, to protect the Australian community from the harm caused by illicit drugs.
"Our combination of highly trained and dedicated personnel, detector dogs and other technologies provide us with a good defense against all manner of concealments," A/g Regional Commander Roberts said.
"The ABF works alongside state and federal partners 24/7, to identify and disrupt domestic and foreign drug trafficking networks. Once identified, the ABF will use its powers to dismantle and, in some cases, remove those syndicates from Australia."
The 28-year-old man was remanded in custody and will next face the Melbourne Magistrates Court on 29 November 2018.
The maximum penalty for this offence is life imprisonment.
