A man has been charged with allegedly trafficking about 13.4 kilograms of methamphetamine through Perth Airport.
The man, 32, arrived on a flight from Sydney last Saturday (18 February, 2023) and was selected by AFP Airport Uniform Policing (AUP) officers for a baggage examination.
Officers located about 13.4kgs of a white crystalline substance inside the man’s checked luggage. Preliminary testing of the substance allegedly returned a positive result for methamphetamine.
AFP officers arrested the man and he was charged with trafficking in a commercial quantity of methamphetamine, contrary to section 302.2 of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth).
The maximum penalty for this offence is life imprisonment.
He faced Perth Magistrates Court on Sunday (19 February) and is expected to re-appear in court on 23 March 2023.
AFP Inspector Matt Taylor said as travel into Australia and around the country returned to pre-COVID levels, the AFP and partners, including Australian Border Force, were alert to people trying to smuggle contraband.
“Illicit drugs cause immense harm and we are doing whatever we can to make sure airports remain a hostile environment for criminal syndicates so they cannot profit at the expense of our communities,” he said.
“The AFP estimates this seizure has saved the community more than $3 million in drug-related harm, including associated crime, healthcare and loss of productivity.
“The message should be clear to anyone attempting to travel with drugs in their possession, regardless of the quantity – you will be caught and you will face the full force of the law.”
Across Australia, 12,400 people were hospitalised for methamphetamine-related issues in the 2020-2021 financial year.*
Criminal syndicates target WA because they can sell a kilogram of methamphetamine for between $240,000 to $290,000 per kilogram wholesale depending on availability and purity. This amount of methamphetamine could have been sold as about 134,000 street level deals of 0.1gram.
*Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report
