Two men appeared before Downing Centre Local Court today (27 August, 2025) charged with allegedly attempting to collect about 45kg of ketamine, which was hidden inside car parts imported from Germany.
The AFP launched an investigation on 14 August, 2025, after Australian Border Force (ABF) officers identified and intercepted the border-controlled drugs concealed inside 66 car drive shafts.
AFP officers removed the ketamine and undertook a controlled delivery of the car parts to a Merrylands address yesterday (26 August, 2025).
One man, 27, allegedly collected the car parts and transported them to an underground car park at his Granville residence.
The AFP will allege a Burwood man, 45, was in the vicinity of the Merrylands address and directed the younger man's actions through multiple calls and messages.
It will be alleged the pair planned to move the shipment to a Granville storage unit to remove the ketamine from the car parts.
AFP investigators executed search warrants at the men's Burwood and Granville homes and seized a currency counting machine, cash and multiple mobile phones.
The men have each been charged with:
- One count of attempting to import a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported border controlled drug, contrary to section 307.1 of the Criminal Code (Cth); and
- One count of attempting to possess a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported border controlled drug, contrary to section 307.5 of the Criminal Code (Cth).
Both offences carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
AFP Detective Superintendent Morgen Blunden said the seizure of the drugs - which had an estimated street value of $9.5 million - stopped a potential 1.1 million street deals.
"Drug addiction has a profound impact on individuals and the wider community. Ketamine is a devastating drug, and criminals have no regard to the pain and misery it inflicts on users and their loved ones," Det Supt Blunden said.
"The AFP, together with our law enforcement partners, is committed to aggressively targeting and disrupting attempts by criminal syndicates to smuggle harmful drugs into our community - no matter how sophisticated their efforts are. We are watching, we are ready, and we will bring you to justice."
ABF Superintendent Asha Patwardhan said those who tried to undermine the integrity of the Australian border by using it as a gateway for harmful drugs should expect to be caught.
"Criminal syndicates are experimenting with ever-more elaborate concealments to push drugs into Australia; however, this detection showed the strength of the ABF's intelligence-based targeting, officer intuition and close working relationships with Australian and international law enforcement partners," Supt Patwardhan said.
"Ketamine is an extremely dangerous border-controlled drug. Stopping more than 45kg from reaching our communities is a significant harm-reduction outcome."
