A father and son have appeared in court after authorities allegedly discovered NZ$224 million worth of methamphetamine hidden inside the painted walls of a shipping container imported from Mexico.
The shipment was intercepted by Australian Border Force officers in Sydney earlier this month after detector dogs indicated the presence of narcotics. Investigators later found more than 200kg of methamphetamine infused into the container’s internal paintwork.
Police subsequently searched a property in Box Hill, Sydney, where they seized electronic devices and equipment allegedly intended to extract the drug.
Three Mexican nationals were arrested, including a 49-year-old man, his 25-year-old son, and a 25-year-old woman.
The father and son were charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported border-controlled drug, an offence carrying a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. The woman was released pending further inquiries.
AFP Detective Acting Superintendent Trevor Robinson said the seizure showed criminal syndicates could not outsmart law enforcement despite increasingly sophisticated concealment methods.
Investigations remain ongoing.
