The Australian Border Force (AFP) has discovered over 30 kilogrammes of cocaine in a refrigerated container at Port Botany.
The shipment was assessed by ABF personnel on 17 October after they discovered irregularities while x-raying a shipping container arriving from Italy.
A forensic examination uncovered 30 packages concealed under the engine area of the refrigerated container.
The parcels were reportedly found to contain a white crystalline material that ultimately tested positive for cocaine. The seizure has an estimated street value of AUS9.75 million ($6.5 million).
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The narcotics were confiscated by AFP personnel, and investigations are underway to determine the criminal gang responsible for their importation.
According to AFP Detective Acting Superintendent Stuart Millen, 30 kilogrammes of cocaine could be sold in more than 150,000 street sales.
Det. A/Supt Millen said: “The organised crime syndicates behind these importations don’t care about the harm they’re causing, the hospital admissions, drug driving crashes, or violence between drug distributors that puts innocent members of the public at risk. They care only about the profits they can make.”
The AFP is looking for information on anybody who may have been requested to take delivery or keep a chilled industrial container.
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ABF Superintendent, Jared Leighton, stated: “Whoever has attempted to import these substances has attempted to conceal them within the structure of the container, something which ABF officers assess and monitor several times a day.
“It’s a warning to those who try sneaky tactics to get beyond our border controls, we work closely with our partner agencies with intelligence and officer knowledge to look at all aspects of a potential import – inside and within a consignment.”
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