TWO Polish nationals have been charged by the Australian Federal Police for attempting to import 300 kilograms of MDMA and 70 kilograms of ketamine in a shipping container.
The drugs were in a consignment of metal fibre transported to a Box Hill facility in Sydney.
And that’s where the AFP pounced.
They seized the drugs on 23 February, after a search warrant was executed.
AFP forensics members took the drugs from the consignment of 20 pallets of cardboard boxes and secured the storage unit as investigators monitored the location.
On 27 February, AFP members watched two men enter the storage unit to allegedly search through the boxes.
The men were then arrested by members of the New South Wales Police Force before being transferred into the custody of the AFP.
The men, 31 and 47, were found to be in possession of scales, tape, heavy duty gloves, a box-cutter, and plastic drop-sheets.
They were charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of border-controlled drugs.
The maximum penalty is life imprisonment.
A search warrant was executed on a hotel room linked to the men in Barangaroo, where mobile devices, a USB, sim cards and documents were seized for further forensic examination.
AFP detective superintendent Kristie Cressy said the arrests highlighted the AFP’s pursuit of organised crime.
“These arrests demonstrate the persistence of our investigators, who remain committed to identifying those responsible for the importation of these illegal drugs and their intended distribution,” she said.
The men appeared before Downing Centre Local Court on 28 February and were refused bail.
They are next expected to appear in court on 24 April.
