A MAN has been extradited from Victoria after being arrested at Melbourne International Airport over his alleged role in the importation of $155m worth of methylamphetamine.
Investigators from the NSW Police Force State Crime Command’s Drug and Firearms Squad, Australian Border Force, with assistance from Australian Federal Police, commenced a joint investigation into the importation of methylamphetamine.
Acting on information from NSWPF investigators, ABF officers targeted a container from the United States for examination on Monday 29 July 2019.
It was X-rayed at the Sydney Container Examination Facility and anomalies were noted in the image. The container was opened, revealing two large industrial machines inside.
Further investigation of a 15-tonne injection moulding machine, which is commonly used in the manufacture of plastic products, revealed seven plastic garbage bags concealed inside two internal voids.
Within these bags, officers located about 200 clip seal bags containing a white crystalline substance, with a total weight of 207kg.
The substance was tested and returned a presumptive positive result for methylamphetamine, which has an estimated potential street value of more than $155m.
As a result of inquiries, a 22-year-old man was arrested by AFP officers after he boarded a Singapore-bound flight at Melbourne International Airport on Sunday (4 August).
Police will allege in court that the man travelled under a false name on a domestic flight from Sydney before attempting to leave the country from Melbourne.
The man, who is an airline customer service officer, was escorted by detectives on a flight to Sydney and taken to Mascot Police Station.
