A Melbourne man has been sentenced to nine years and six months' imprisonment by the County Court of Victoria on Monday (23 March, 2026) after importing cocaine into Australia from Chile.
The man, 41, will serve a non-parole period of six years and three months.
An AFP investigation began on 18 February, 2025, after Australian Border Force (ABF) officers intercepted the man at Melbourne Airport on his arrival from Chile and detected cocaine in his luggage. A detailed baggage examination uncovered about 8kg of cocaine wrapped inside bed sheets.
This amount of cocaine has an estimated street value of $2.6 million and could have resulted in about 40,000 individual street deals.
AFP charged the man with importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug, contrary to section 307.1 of the Criminal Code (Cth).
AFP Detective Acting Superintendent Mark McKiernan said anyone involved in importing harmful illicit drugs into Australia would face the full force of the law.
"Those who attempt to smuggle dangerous drugs into Australia should be under no illusion - if you break our laws, you will face the consequences," Det a/Supt McKiernan said.
"The AFP works relentlessly with our partners to ensure offenders are identified, arrested and brought before the courts. Anyone who tries to profit from the harm caused by illicit drugs can expect to be caught and held to account."
ABF Superintendent Kelly‑Anne Parish said this outcome demonstrated the ABF's ongoing border protection role and its responsibility for making operational decisions when illicit activity was identified.
"ABF officers detected anomalies during a baggage inspection, which led to the identification of the cocaine concealed in the man's luggage," Supt Parish said.
"Attempts to move illicit drugs through Australia's airports continue to evolve, and the ABF's role is to detect and disrupt those attempts as early as possible.
"The detection and escalation to the AFP show how early border intervention plays a critical role in limiting the damage these substances can cause in the community."
