TWO men who attempted to import a large quantity of methamphetamine inside a shipment of toilet paper have been sentenced to a combined 16 years and six months imprisonment.
The County Court of Victoria sentenced a Hong Kong national aged 33 to 11 years’ imprisonment, while his co-accused, a Malaysian national aged 31, was sentenced to five years and six months’ imprisonment.
The court heard the men performed various roles in connection with the methamphetamine importation, a total 622kg, which arrived in Melbourne via sea cargo from Malaysia in October 2023.
The investigation began when Australian Border Force (ABF) officers identified anomalies in a consignment during an x-ray screening and reported the matter to the Australian Federal Police (AFP).
The Victorian Joint Organised Crime Taskforce and AFP forensics officers located and seized 622 green and gold tea packages inside the shipment, each containing a white crystalline substance. They were further concealed within a pallet of toilet paper.
The pair, alongside two others, were arrested in Melbourne in October 2023 during Operation Improcco, a multi-agency investigation led by VIC JOCTF, comprising members from the AFP, Victoria Police and ABF.
At the time of the seizure, the authorities say the quantity of methamphetamine was the equivalent of more than 6.2 million individual street deals, and could have been sold for an estimated $559.8 million.
The Hong Kong national was arrested at Melbourne Airport as he attempted to board a flight to leave Australia and the Malaysian national was arrested at a property in Sunshine North (Melbourne).
Two arrested Chinese nationals remain before the courts in relation to the investigation and will reportedly face trial next year.
AFP detective superintendent Jason McArthur said the AFP and its partners were determined to stop illicit substances from entering the country.
““To anyone lured in by the false promise of shallow riches from drug importations – these offences carry the potential of life in jail,” he said.
“Our work does not stop with this result and we will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to chase up every avenue of enquiry possible and disrupt the importation of illicit drugs into Victoria.”
ABF acting commander Ben Michalke said the conviction is meaningful as it displays the ability of all partner agencies and taskforces to work together to thwart criminal syndicates and their nefarious activities.
“This gargantuan shipment of methylamphetamine into Melbourne had the potential to devastate many lives, as well as to proliferate the world of organised crime”, Mr Michalke said.
“Our officers are highly skilled in making detections at the border, and we continue to work closely with our partners, sharing intelligence, and recording success in dismantling criminal networks”.
