The Australian Federal Police have charged a British national over the alleged importation of more than 4kg of methamphetamine sent from the United Kingdom to Western Australia.
The 54-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday evening after he accepted delivery of the package that was to contain illicit drugs before they were seized by police.
An investigation was launched this week after Australian Border Force (ABF) officers in Perth identified anomalies in a consignment addressed to a Rockingham residence.
ABF officers opened the package and allegedly found two sealed plastic bags containing a crystalline substance that returned a positive reading for methamphetamine.
An adjustable wrench was also taped to one of the plastic bags.
The matter was referred to the AFP for investigation and forensic tests found the substance was about 4.3kg of methamphetamine.
AFP investigators arranged for the package to be delivered without the illicit drugs and the British man accepted the delivery but provided a false name.
He was later arrested after he was seen putting the box that had contained the substituted items in a bin and police allegedly found the sealed packages of the fake drugs at the property.
AFP Detective Acting Inspector David Blockley said illicit drug use burdened the Australian economy and Australian taxpayers.
“While each air cargo or air mail package might contain only small amounts of illicit substances, the high volume of attempted importations combine to equate to millions of individual street deals,” he said.
“The estimated total social costs for every kilogram of illicit drugs classed as stimulants, such as methamphetamine, is more than $226,000 through crime, loss of productivity, emergency treatment and increased health care costs.
“That’s why the AFP works closely with the ABF and other partners to prevent these drugs from reaching our communities and identify those who try to import them.”
The man, who has been in Australia for only a month, has been charged with importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug and attempting to possess a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug.
He was remanded in custody to reappear in the Perth Magistrates Court on April 21.
These offences carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
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