Investigators from the joint-agency Taskforce Sentry have charged two people for their alleged involvement in attempting to import more than 10 kilograms of methamphetamine, with an estimated street value of $1.36 million, to Queensland's Gold Coast.
They were arrested in Benowa yesterday afternoon (16 September 2021) following a report earlier this month to the Australian Federal Police from United States Customs and Border Protection, which discovered 10.8kgs of methamphetamine within a consignment being shipped from Los Angeles to the Gold Coast.
The methamphetamine was allegedly concealed within a computer tower destined for an address in Surfers Paradise.
It will be alleged the two people received the consignment, in which the methamphetamine had been replaced with an inert substance by investigators. Officers also seized thousands of dollars in cash, alleged to be the proceeds of crime.
A 65-year-old man has been charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of border controlled drug, knowingly dealing in proceeds of crime greater than $100, 000, and possessing a dangerous drug.
A 46-year-old woman has been charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug.
If found guilty, the maximum penalty for these offences is 25 years imprisonment.
Both appeared in Southport Magistrates Court today.
AFP Detective Superintendent Helen Schneider said the arrests showed how Taskforce Sentry gives Queensland law enforcement agencies greater options in disrupting criminal networks.
"This taskforce was established to inflict maximum damage to the criminals who seek to line their own pockets by bringing illicit and dangerous substances into Australia," Detective Superintendent Schneider said.
"By stopping this package from hitting the streets, we are protecting Australians from the terrible social damage caused by drug abuse and taking money away from the criminal networks who feed on it."
Taskforce Sentry comprises of members of the Australian Federal Police, The Queensland Police Service's Crime and Intelligence Command, Australian Border Force and the Department of Home Affairs, collaborating to gather intelligence, implement investigative strategies and take action against syndicates smuggling and distributing illicit items including through postal and cargo streams.
