An Iranian man has been arrested in Sydney‘s west after being accused of planning to import 390kg of methamphetamine into Australia.
The 61-year-old man is accused of coordinating the import of the drugs, which have an estimated street value of $360 million. The methamphetamine was allegedly concealed inside crane parts.
The shipment was identified in June by the Australian Border Force (ABF), which suspected there were border-controlled drugs inside a shipping consignment that arrived in Sydney.
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ABF officers intercepted three shipping containers carrying yellow-coloured, metal crane structures, each of which displayed anomalies.
Subsequent inspection and deconstruction of the consignment found plastic pipes and packages concealed inside the crane structures, allegedly containing a crystalline substance.
Australian Federal Police (AFP) forensics later confirmed the substance was methamphetamine.
The AFP seized the entire consignment of illicit drugs, which was confirmed to weigh a total of 390kg.
As a result, officers from the AFP arrested the man on Sunday after a search warrant was executed at his Quakers Hill home.
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He arrived in Australia from Hamburg in Germany on June 25, where police allege he planned to take possession of the consignment containing the methamphetamine.
The search of the man’s property and rental car led to multiple items being seized, including power tools and cutting equipment.
Police charged the Iranian national with one count of attempting to possess a commercial quantity of unlawfully imported border-controlled drugs and one count of participating in the business of importing commercial quantities of border-controlled drugs.
Both offences carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
The man faced Downing Centre Local Court yesterday.
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