Woman charged after 15kg of meth labelled ‘tea’ found in luggage
A 40-year-old Western Sydney woman will appear in court on Saturday after allegedly trying to import 15 kilograms of methamphetamine disguised as tea bags.
The Bonnyrigg woman was stopped at Sydney Airport for a routine inspection by Australian Border Force (ABF) officers on Friday and 18 vacuum-sealed bags containing a clear crystalline substance packaged as tea were allegedly found in her luggage.
Presumptive testing of the substance returned a positive result for methamphetamine with an estimated weight of 15 kilograms.
Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers arrested the woman and seized the drug, which had an estimated street value of more than $13 million and may have been involved in approximately 150,000 street sales.
The woman was charged with importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
AFP Detective Inspector Morgen Blunden said the AFP and ABF regularly saw people trying to smuggle illegal drugs into Australia in their luggage.
“This is an important reminder for travelers that individuals or groups offering money to carry luggage should not be trusted and the reward is not worth the consequences,” Blunden said.
“Knowingly or unknowingly smuggling drugs in your luggage is a criminal offense and if you are caught you risk losing some of the best years of your life sitting in a prison cell in Australia or abroad.
“AFP is working closely with our partners at the border and abroad to disrupt these importations before drugs hit our streets.
“This is not a victimless crime. The drugs these men carry fuel violence, addiction and organized crime in our communities. Every kilogram seized is a blow to the networks that profit from harm and reminds us that Australia is not an easy target.”
ABF Inspector Elke West said stopping drugs at the border was a priority and officers were vigilant to detect and stop the import of illegal substances to protect our community from harm.
“No matter how these drug traffickers try to hide and move their drugs, our profiling and intelligence means we will always be one step ahead and continue to stop dangerous drugs from reaching our communities,” West said.
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