Only in Australia! Delivery Contractor allegedly tries to import 3kg of ice inside handbags and THONGS
A delivery contractor is facing life in prison, accused of abusing his position to import drugs into Australia.
Border Force officials seized around 3kg of ice destined for Sydney hidden inside false bottoms of handbags and the soles of dozens of thongs.
A 32-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday and charged with three counts of attempting to possess a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug.
He was working as a contractor, delivering parcels on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.
Only in Australia! Meth was found concealed in dozens of pairs of thongs
Border force officials seized around 3kg of ice destined for Sydney hidden inside false bottoms of handbags and the soles of dozens of thongs
Police launched Strike Force Pulleine after border force officials intercepted a series of parcels from Mexico in October.
Both packages – which were declared to contain handbags – were x-rayed, and pulled apart after authorities found inconsistencies.
The bags were all found to have false bottoms, with each concealing another bag containing a crystalline-like substance.
Testing returned a presumptive positive result for methylamphetamine.
The matter was referred to the NSW Police Force and a total of about 2.3kg of ice was seized.
The bags were all found to have false bottoms, with each concealing another bag containing a crystalline-like substance
Testing of the substance returned a presumptive positive result for methylamphetamine
A third package was then intercepted at the Sydney Gateway Facility from the Netherlands and addressed a home on the Northern Beaches.
It was also found to contain 1kg of ice, which was concealed in the soles of dozens of pairs of thongs.
A 32-year-old man was arrested at about 11am on Thursday on Clifford Street Fairlight.
They had stopped him the night before around Chatswood, and after a search of his car they allegedly seized electronic scales, a computer and postal contractor identification.
A third package was then intercepted at the Sydney Gateway Facility from the Netherlands and addressed a home on the Northern Beaches
It was also found to contain 1kg of ice, which was concealed in the soles of dozens of pairs of thongs
A short time later, investigators executed a search warrant at a home at Artarmon.
Police allegedly found an electronic control device, laptops, a hard drive and electronic storage devices, Bitcoin documentation, drug paraphernalia consistent with supply, and a digital money counter.
The 32-year-old Artarmon man was charged with three counts of attempt possess commercial quantity of unlawful import: border-controlled drug.
He has been refused bail to appear at Manly Local court.