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A 40-year-old western Sydney woman will face court on Saturday after allegedly trying to import 15 kilograms of methamphetamine disguised as tea bags.
The Bonnyrigg woman was stopped by Australian Border Force (ABF) officers at Sydney Airport on Friday for a routine examination, which allegedly found 18 vacuum-sealed bags containing a clear crystalline substance packaged as tea in her luggage.
The 15 kilograms of methamphetamine found packaged as tea at Sydney Airport.Credit: AFP
Presumptive testing of the substance returned a positive result for methamphetamine, with an estimated weight of 15 kilograms.
Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers arrested the woman and seized the drugs, which had an estimated street value of more than $13 million and could have been cut into about 150,000 street deals.
The woman was charged with one count of importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug, which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
The suitcase searched by border patrol at Sydney Airport.Credit: AFP
AFP Detective Superintendent Morgen Blunden said the AFP and ABF see people attempting to smuggle illicit drugs into Australia in their luggage regularly.
“This is an important reminder for travellers – individuals or groups offering money to move luggage are not to be trusted, and the reward is not worth the consequences,” Blunden said.
“Trafficking drugs in your luggage, either knowingly or unknowingly, is a criminal offence, and if caught, you face losing some of the best years of your life sitting in a prison cell either in Australia or overseas.
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“The AFP is working closely with our partners at the border and overseas to disrupt these importations before the drugs ever hit our streets.
“This is not a victimless crime. The drugs these individuals carry fuel violence, addiction and organised crime in our communities. Every kilogram seized is a blow to the networks that profit from harm and a reminder that Australia is not an easy target.”
ABF Superintendent Elke West said stopping drugs at the border is a priority and officers are alert to detect and stop the importation of illicit substances, to protect our community from harm.
“No matter how these drug traffickers attempt to conceal and move their drugs, our profiling and intelligence holdings means we will always be one step ahead and we will continue to prevent dangerous drugs from reaching our community,” West said.
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