Canadian man Colin Waring arrested at Sydney Airport, charged over alleged attempt to import meth

An international traveller, behind bars on remand after he was allegedly caught trying to sneak up to 150,000 “hits” of an illicit drug into Australia, can now be named.

Sydney Airport, where Colin Waring was arrested. Picture: NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

A Canadian national is behind bars on remand after he was allegedly caught trying to sneak up to 150,000 “hits” of methamphetamine into Australia.

Colin Waring, 38, was stopped at Sydney International Airport on July 31, when Australian Border Force officers examined his baggage upon his arrival from Vancouver.

The officers claim to have found about 15kg of “a powdery substance” in several vacuum-sealed bags within Waring’s suitcase.

Further testing of the substance is alleged to have returned a positive result for methamphetamine.

The matter was referred to the Australian Federal Police, which arrested and charged Waring with importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug.

The suitcase in which Colin Waring allegedly had methamphetamine. Picture: Australian Federal Police

He faced the Downing Centre Local Court on August 1 and was refused bail.

When the case returned to that court on Wednesday, Deputy Chief Magistrate Sharon Freund adjourned the matter until November 27.

More than 15kg of methamphetamine was allegedly . Picture: AFP/Supplied

It is not known whether Waring, who remains in custody, has entered a plea.

On Wednesday morning, AFP Detective Acting Superintendent Dom Stephenson said in a statement the federal police force was committed to cracking down on people who tried to sneak illicit drugs into the country.

“Criminal groups will go to any lengths to bring illicit substances into our country,” he said, speaking generally.

“The devastating impact methamphetamine has on individuals and their families is well known – that’s why we’re committed to stopping it whenever we can.

The inspection of the man's luggage allegedly led to the discovery of methamphetamine. Picture: Australian Federal Police

“This amount could have accounted for about 150,000 individual hits, had it reached Australian streets.”

Australian Border Force Superintendent Elke West, also speaking generally, said her organisation’s officers were always on the lookout for “the brazen tactics of travellers attempting to import illicit substances into the country”.

“Criminal syndicates only think about their profit margins, not about the potential harm these dangerous drugs cause to the community,” Supt West said.

“ABF officers will continue to act on shared agency intelligence, passenger behaviour, and officer intuition to intercept attempted drug importations and disrupt these network’s supply chains.”