A MAN has been sentenced to eight years in jail for importing 10 kilograms of methamphetamine into Australia via air freight.

The drugs were smuggled inside electric motors shipped from Italy and the United States into New South Wales in September 2020.

The 36-year-old Sydney man was arrested in April 2021 and in May this year pleaded guilty to importing meth.

Australian Border Force officers identified the consignments and the Australian Federal Police carried out an investigation, known as operation Joffre.

It is understood it was alleged in court the man used his position as a store manager to have illicit drugs delivered to his workplace in Silverwater, NSW.

AFP Detective Superintendent Matt Ciantar said the AFP is working alongside its partners at the border and offshore to share intelligence, track the movement of illicit drugs into Australia and intercept them.

“We are targeting individuals and groups profiting off Australia’s high demand for illicit drugs, where the profits are ultimately funnelled back into the pockets of organised crime syndicates operating offshore,” Detective Superintendent Ciantar said.

ABF aviation goods Superintendent Mal Nimmo said the eight-year sentence is the culmination of interagency co-operation and border protections aimed at disrupting the supply of drugs into Australia.

“The technical expertise of our dedicated ABF officers, alongside valuable intelligence information, meant we were able to stop this harmful substance from entering our community,” Superintendent Nimmo said.

“We continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure the Australian community is kept safe from the importation of dangerous drugs.”

The AFP worked in partnership with US Homeland Security Investigations to share information through the AFP International Network and investigate the origins of the methamphetamine.

US Homeland Security Attaché Ernest Verina said the sentencing emphasised the importance of international collaboration when combating transnational crime.

“HSI continues to work closely with Australian law enforcement to ensure that international drug smuggling syndicates are disrupted and dismantled,” Attaché Verina said.

The AFP estimates the seizure saved the community more than $4 million in drug-related harm, including associated crime, healthcare and loss of productivity.

The man received his sentence with a non-parole period of four years by the Sydney Downing Centre District Court on 1 September.