‘Integrity is our principle’: Drug traffickers on how easy it is to import meth into Victoria

International drug traffickers are openly boasting about how easy smuggling huge amounts of contraband into Victoria is, with one business operating from Wuhan in China.

International drug traffickers are openly boasting about how easy it is to smuggle huge quantities of contraband into Victoria.

International drug traffickers are openly boasting about how easy it is to smuggle huge quantities of contraband into Victoria.

One business, operating out of Wuhan in China, brazenly advertising a methamphetamine precursor for sale and going into detail about how they fool authorities.

“The bulk powder is provided with double-layer aluminum (sic) thin bag odor-proof (sic) packaging,” it states.

“We can use special packaging, such as shampoo packaging and change the chemical names on packages.”

The product is then covered in “plant extract animal food wrapping.”

There is a picture of dog food wrapping on the website.

It goes on to say it guarantees “timely and safe” delivery.

“We have professional chemical freight agents. We rarely encounter delivery issues, but if we do, we always prioritize (sic) our client’s interests even if we incur losses ourselves because integrity is our principle,” it states without irony.

The precursor, which the Herald Sun has chosen not to name, can make pills, powders or crystals known as Ice.

Methamphetamine can be swallowed, inhaled, smoked or injected.

Some precursors are packaged in dog food wrapping and shipped to Australia.

When contacted by the Herald Sun, ‘Rosie’ replied on an encrypted messaging service that they could provide “several tons” of the product in one go.

“Our MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity) is 1kg and the price is 150 US dollars including freight,” she wrote.

“If you need more, the price will be cheaper.”

Asked how they avoid being detected by Australian Customs and Border Protection Service, she replied: “We will disguise the packaging and export it under another name. Our line to Australia is stable.”

The company, which says it has been in business for 10-years, is just one of many the Herald Sun discovered online.

Australian Border Force data shows the authority detected 932 importations of precursors in the last financial year, with a total weight seized of 2.1 tonnes.

“We are aware of websites and vendor marketplaces that sell precursor chemicals which purport to guarantee delivery to Australia,” an Australian Border Force spokesperson said.

“We are working domestically and with international partners, such as the International Narcotics Control Board, to proactively identify these websites and vendor marketplaces and, with the cooperation from private sector partners, to takedown and dismantle these sites.”

The Australian Border Force say they will find those who import drugs into the country. Picture: iStock

They added: “We are detecting and seizing precursor chemicals at the border on a regular basis, which is concerning. Our message is clear – if you try and import illicit substances, we will find them, seize them, and you could face severe penalties.

“While concealment methods are getting more advanced, so too is our ability to detect them. Our techniques and intelligence are constantly evolving, as are the skills and dedication of our highly trained officers.”

China is one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of precursor chemicals with more than 160,000 precursor chemical companies and production facilities across the country.

A United States Department of State report details precursors being “a significant problem” within China.

“The diversion of precursor chemicals for the illicit production of drugs remains a significant problem within China,” it states.

“For example, although China regulates PAA, China does not control, regulate, or monitor the esters and derivatives of PAA, or other non-regulated chemicals known as pre-precursors.

“These pre-precursors are now the primary chemicals employed in the illicit manufacture of methamphetamine.”