Customs and Border Protection Media Release
Man arrrested for importing and attempting to possess heroin - 13 November 2010
Joint media release with the Australian Federal Police
A 51-year-old Lakemba man will appear in the Parramatta local court this morning for importing and attempting to possess heroin.
On 7 November Customs and Border Protection officers discovered a suspicious package at the Sydney International Mail Centre. The package was subjected to an X-ray examination by Customs officers and further inspection revealed that the package contained boxes of tea. Eight boxes of tea were found to each contain 20 sachets filled with 1600 grams of white powder.
The white powder substance underwent presumptive testing which indicated the presence of heroin.
The matter was then referred to the Australian Federal Police (AFP).
On 12 November the AFP conducted searches on seven vehicles, private and commercial premises in Lakemba, Punchbowl, Marrickville, Waterloo and Belmore and the man was arrested.
The AFP seized over $819,000, a further kilogram of heroin and 1.5 kilograms of methamphetamine also known as ‘ice’.
The man was charged with the following:
- Importing a Commercial Quantity of a Border Controlled Drug, contrary to subsection 307.1(1) of the Criminal Code 1995;
- Attempting to possess a Commercial Quantity of a Border Controlled Drug contrary to subsection 307.5(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 by virtue of section 11.1 Criminal Code 1995; and
- Dealing with property, being money, reasonably suspected of being proceeds of crime, and the value of that money is more than $100,000, contrary to subsection 400.9(1) of the Criminal Code 1995.
Further testing of the substance will be undertaken to confirm the substance, its weight and purity.
The maximum for this offence is an $825,000 fine and/or life imprisonment.
Media enquiries:
AFP National Media (02) 6131 6333
Customs and Border Protection Communication and Media (02) 6275 6793