Police have seized 157 kilograms of methylamphetamine at Sydney Airport, which Australian Federal Police (AFP) said had been flown in from Germany.
The drugs were seized by the Australian Border Force (ABF) on December 29 with a forensic deconstruction revealing 211 packages inside 10 cardboard boxes hidden alongside packing equipment.
The packages contained a total of 156.8kg of methamphetamine.
An investigation is underway to identify who is behind the importation.
“Transnational drug syndicates which attempt to flood Australia with border-controlled drugs are motivated solely by greed and personal gain,” AFP Detective Acting Superintendent Colin Hunt said.
“There is little or no regard to the pain and suffering these harmful drugs inflict on people, their families, and their communities.”
ABF acting commander Asha Patwardhan said the border force played a vital frontline role in protecting the Australian community from the supply of harmful drugs.
“Whether these attempted importations occur by air or sea, the intelligence and technology at our disposal is increasingly sophisticated and evolving to detect and disrupt attempts to bring illicit drug into the country,” Patwardhan said.
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, there were 10,100 methamphetamine-related hospitalisations across Australia in 2021 to 2022, which equates to more than 27 every day on average.
