A Swiss national has been sentenced to more than eight years' imprisonment after attempting to import 21kg of cocaine concealed inside his luggage on board an international flight into Melbourne earlier this year.
The man, 21, was sentenced earlier today (24 October, 2025), by the County Court of Victoria to eight years and eight months' imprisonment, with a minimum non-parole period of four years and 10 months.
Australian Border Force (ABF) officers initially detected the illicit drugs in the man's luggage on 3 January, 2025, after he was selected for a baggage examination following his arrival at Melbourne Airport on a flight from Los Angeles.
During this search, ABF officers found a white substance hidden in 21 black plastic packets inside the man's suitcase and notified the AFP for further investigation.
Subsequent testing of the substance returned a positive result for cocaine, with a total pure weight of about 14kg.
This amount of cocaine could have been sold as almost 70,000 street deals with an estimated value of $4.5 million.
The man pleaded guilty on 9 October, 2025, to one count of import a commercial quantity of border-controlled drugs, namely cocaine, contrary to Section 307.1 (1) of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth).
AFP Acting Commander Donna Tankard said the AFP, together with its Commonwealth law enforcement partners, maintained a strong presence at Australian airports to detect and disrupt criminal activity, including the attempted importation of illicit drugs.
"Despite our quality screening protocols, we continue to see people risk their livelihoods by attempting to smuggle illicit substances through our airports," a/Commander Tankard said.
"These drugs have the potential to cause unimaginable harm for communities here in Australia, and highlights why the AFP and our partners continue to target this offending.
"Let this investigation serve as yet another serious warning to those attempting to import harmful, illicit substances into Australia - we will identify you and bring you and your criminal associates to justice."
ABF Superintendent Kelly-Anne Parish said the ability of ABF officers to detect criminal activity at the border serves as a strong deterrent to anyone seeking to profit from the illicit drug trade.
"Our ABF officers remain vigilant and committed to targeting and apprehending drug couriers to help protect the community," Superintendent Parish said.
"Cocaine is a highly addictive substance, known to have long lasting health impacts and devastating outcomes for many people.
"We will continue to work closely with our partner agencies onshore and internationally though shared intelligence and cooperation to dismantle the criminal networks behind such brazen attempts to import illicit drugs into Australia."
