Woman charged over 13kg of meth hidden in toys

An American woman will spend Christmas behind bars after allegedly trying to smuggle 13 kilograms of children’s toys stuffed with drugs into Sydney.

An American woman will spend Christmas behind bars after allegedly trying to smuggle 13 kilograms of children’s toys stuffed with drugs into Sydney.

Tina Tran Nguyen’s bags were searched by Australian Border Force officers after she arrived on a flight from San Francisco at Sydney Airport on Sunday morning.

An American woman has been charged allegedly attempting to import 13 kilograms of methamphetamine into Sydney airport. Picture: ABF

The drugs were allegedly concealed inside boxes of children’s toys. Picture: ABF

They allegedly uncovered 25 packages in four boxes of Lego filled with what’s believed to be methamphetamine.

The 37-year-old was charged with importing a commercial quantity of border-controlled drugs, which can attract a maximum sentence of life in jail.

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She faced Central Local Court on Monday where she did not apply for bail and it was formally refused.

“The fact criminals are willing to use children’s toys to smuggle such harmful drugs into this country demonstrates the importance of continued vigilance at our borders,” Australian Federal Police Superintendent Peter Mullins said in a statement.

The woman was selected for a baggage examination by Australian Border Force. Picture: ABF

The 37-year-old arrived on a flight from San Francisco. Picture: ABF

Regional Commander Danielle Yannopoulos said offenders should be aware that they are being constantly monitored.

“ABF officers have the skills, training and technology to detect these dangerous drugs at the border, no matter how criminals try to hide them,” she said.

“With our partner agencies we will do everything in our power to stop illicit drugs from reaching our shores and shut down the criminal syndicates responsible for trying to bring them here.”

The maximum penalty for this offence is life imprisonment.

Nguyen is expected before the same court again on January 30, 2019.

An American woman was stopped carrying boxes of children’s toys. Picture: ABF