A WOMAN working in the United Kingdom’s cargo sector has been charged for her suspected involvement in smuggling 24 kilograms of crystal meth into Australia last year.
She was one of three UK nationals charged for the shipment, worth $28 million, which was seized by the Australian Border Force on its arrival in July 2021.
The 52-year-old woman from Croydon, UK, is accused of accepting a shipment filled with methamphetamine and failing to properly inspect it before it was marketed as security cleared and sent to Australia.
She is also alleged to have tracked the shipment as it travelled through the system.
A 52-year-old man is believed to have travelled to the shipping centre in Croydon on 26 June, where he allegedly paid for the shipment to be sent to Australia.
A 51-year-old man is alleged to have arranged the contact between the other man and the woman to organise the shipment.
Upon arrival in Australia in July last year, ABF officers selected the consignment for examination, revealing 24 plastic bags containing a substance revealed to be methamphetamine.
The ABF then referred the consignment to the Australian Federal Police for further investigation.
All three people were arrested in the UK on 13 April last week by officers in the Organised Crime Partnership, a joint team comprising the UK’s National Crime Agency and Metropolitan Police Officers.
AFP detective acting inspector Brendon Basford said the information which identified the suspects was the result of an investigation into an Australian-based crime syndicate alleged to be responsible for multiple importations of illicit drugs.
“AFP investigators identified a person of interest in the UK tracking a shipment in a manner that we believed was suspicious, and passed on the information we had to the National Crime Authority via the AFP’s international liaison network,” Mr Basford said.
“It’s incredibly rewarding to know that our partners have taken the initial information we provided and built a brief of evidence on criminal offences in the United Kingdom, having a tangible impact on the alleged suppliers to the enterprise seeking to exploit the Australian community.”
Detective inspector Guy Carmichael of the Organised Crime Partnership said the drugs would have been worth more in Australia than in the UK, with a street value of almost $28 million.
“Working closely with partners in Australia, including the Australian Federal Police, has seen a large quantity of these dangerous drugs taken off the streets and a suspected key supply chain taken out of action,” Mr Carmichael said.
“We will continue to target those who are supplying illegal drugs, whether within the UK or overseas.”
ABF commander Susan Drennan said the arrests demonstrated the agility of law enforcement partners globally to work collaboratively and share information to achieve a joint disruption outcome for all agencies.
“This is a great example of the reach of our professional law enforcement relationships worldwide,” she said.
“Our tough action against criminals attempting to endanger the lives of those in our community does not stop at our borders.”
