An Edwardstown man has been arrested in a joint operation between Australian Border Force (ABF) and the South Australian Police following an investigation into cocaine importation through the international mail system.
The arrest was made after ABF officers and detectives from the Serious & Organised Crime Branch (SOCB) intercepted a package containing 840 grams of cocaine arriving in Adelaide.
The parcel had been initially been intercepted by ABF officers at the Sydney Gateway Facility after arriving through international mail from the United Kingdom, declared as 'Comics' but allegedly hidden inside a jigsaw puzzle.
The man has been charged with one count of importing a marketable quantity of border-controlled drugs, namely cocaine, contrary to s 307.2 (1) of the Criminal Code Act (Cth).
He appeared at the Elizabeth Magistrates Court yesterday, 19 January 2023 and was remanded in custody. Investigations remain ongoing.
ABF Inspector Regional Investigations SA, Steve Garden said the arrest served as a reminder to those seeking to import harmful drugs into Australia that the international mail system was not an easy route.
"We have officers around Australia using a variety of methods and resources at their disposal to detect concealments of illicit drugs in the mail system, regardless of how creatively criminals try to hide them," Inspector Garden said.
"This is an excellent example of two agencies working closely together to address serious criminality that is occurring in South Australia stemming from the importation of controlled drugs."
Officer in Charge of Serious and Organised Crime Branch, Detective Superintendent Billy Thompson said SAPOL will take every opportunity it can to work with the ABF and our other law enforcement partners to stop the flow of illicit drugs into our community.
"People who import drugs do so for their own selfish means, such people have no regard for the harm they cause to others. Anyone who has information about illicit drugs should contact Crime Stoppers," Detective Superintendent Thompson said.
