Heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine: AFP’s massive $10.7bn drug haul

The AFP has seized more than 26.8 tonnes of illicit drugs in the past financial year including Queensland’s largest shipment of heroin ever detected by authorities.

The AFP has seized more than 26.8 tonnes of illicit drugs and precursors in the past financial year including Queensland’s largest shipment of heroin ever detected by authorities.

The seized illicit drugs including methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and precursors, will be destroyed, depriving criminal gangs from profiting from the proceeds of crime.

The drugs seized in the 2022 to 2023 financial year (FY), with assistance from Australian Border Force (ABF) and state and territory partners, has prevented about $10.7 billion in community harm.

In the 2021 to 2022 FY, more than 23.1 tonnes of border-controlled drugs and precursors were netted by the AFP and the ABF.

AFP has seized more than 26.8 tonnes of illicit drugs.

ABF Commander James Copeman said the ABF and its law enforcement partners will continue to make the border a hostile environment for criminals trying to import illicit drugs.

“Cocaine shipments in particular are being seized at the nation’s border at unprecedented levels as Australia confronts a global surge in trafficking,” Commander Copeman said.

“The ABF are seizing more than twice the amount of cocaine we did last year.

“Methodologies that criminal groups are using to attempt to import illicit goods into Australia are constantly changing, some include hull attachments on ships, drops at sea or use of trusted insiders and couriers on cruise ships.”

While AFP Commander Paula Hudson said the 26.8 tonnes of drugs seized prevented significant harm to the community and the “inevitable domino effect it has on our emergency services, hospitals and first responders”.

Items siezed in police operations. Picture: Australian Federal Police

Earlier this year, an international drug smuggling sting uncovered the largest shipment of heroin ever detected in Queensland and the second largest in Australia.

Inside an inconspicuous shipping container from Malaysia, marked as solar panel accessories, delivered to the Port of Brisbane on March 13, sat two 500kg concrete blocks.

Waiting for the container were officers from the AFP and ABF who drilled into the blocks and discovered about 336kg of heroin with an estimated street value of $268.8m and representing more than a third of Australia’s annual heroin consumption.

Australian authorities seized the second largest heroin shipment ever detected in Australia after intercepting 336kg of the illicit drug inside a shipment sent from Malaysia to Brisbane. Photo: AFP

With the container destined for an industrial lot in Brendale, north of Brisbane, the agencies removed the 960 packages of heroin weighing 350g each, before a controlled delivery took place on March 28.

It will be alleged 55-year-old Sinnadoria Asari, from Sydney collected the containers in a rented truck on March 29, which he then drove to an industrial shed in Mount Druitt on March 30.

He returned to the shed the following day and allegedly used industrial tools to cut into the concrete and access the heroin hidden inside the display stands.

AFP officers arrested Asari as he left the shed later that morning.

Police also seized jewellery worth an estimated $700,000 from the Auburn man’s home as well as electronic devices along with mobile phones, cash, hard drives, notebooks and other parts of the reconstructed consignment from other locations.

Asari, who lives in Auburn, has been charged with one count of importing a commercial quantity of border controlled drugs, namely heroin and one count of attempting to possess a commercial quantity of border controlled drugs, namely heroin.

The maximum penalty for both offences is life imprisonment.