A JOINT release by the Australian Border Force and Australian Federal Police has revealed that vehicle importations are being targeted for illegal drug importations.
The ABF and AFP say there has been a “significant increase” in attempts by transnational organised criminals to smuggle drugs into Australia inside cars, vans, and trucks.
A total of 303kg of drugs transported via this method were detected and seized on arrival last year, including substances such as cocaine, ketamine, methamphetamine, MDMA, and liquid methamphetamine.
The AFP intelligence suggests trusted insiders and criminals based offshore are being paid by transnational groups to conceal drugs inside the vehicles before they are placed on roll-on/roll-off vessels travelling to Australia.
Authorities say access to RoRo’s may be infiltrated by criminal groups, which then stash the illicit consignments, before monitoring and tracking the shipment live in transit using a GPS device hidden inside the vehicle.
The vehicles, after arriving in the country and being taken to car dealerships, are then attempted to be accessed by criminals involved, using a spare key to remove the drugs. The authorities say there is no suggestion that car dealerships are aware of this activity.
AFP Commander Paula Hudson said transnational serious organised crime syndicates had targeted new vehicles from car dealerships exported from Europe and South America.
“Transnational criminal syndicates continue to evolve their methods in a desperate attempt to import illicit drugs into Australia” Commander Hudson said.
“We are aware of this methodology, where syndicates are piggybacking off the importation of new vehicles during transit in hopes of concealing them from law enforcement.”
Authorities cited a number of recent incidents, caught by authorities, as examples of this criminal tactic.
In February this year, two Victorian men were charged by the AFP after allegedly attempting to import 139kg of cocaine concealed in 13 luxury buses on board an international cargo ship destined for Adelaide, via Perth.
Then, in May this year, over $6.6 million worth of MDMA was discovered during an inspection of a cargo ship at Fremantle Harbour in Western Australia, concealed inside the panels of six new Peugeot vans.
The AFP is warning transnational criminal syndicates that attempts to import drugs into Australia will be stopped, with members working closely alongside international and domestic law enforcement partners, such as ABF, to detect and prevent harmful illicit substances from reaching Australian communities.
ABF Commander Chris Holzeimer said ever-increasing law enforcement cooperation was beginning to make a real dent in the illegal and criminal attempts.
“ABF detection methods are among the best in the world at identifying drugs concealed on roll on/roll off vessels, and our highly trained officers are no strangers to evolving concealment techniques” Mr Holzeimer said.
“Our message today is very simple – if you attempt to illegally import narcotics, including inside new vehicles, we will detect it and you can expect to face the full legal consequences for your actions.”
