Police charge Gold Coast man for importing 120 litres of highly dangerous liquid drug
Police said the drug, which is highly addictive and can cause users to slip into a coma or die, was smuggled inside bottles labelled ‘skincare products’.
A Gold Coast man is facing life behind bars if convicted for allegedly importing 120 litres of “highly addictive liquid drugs”, worth $450,000, into the country.
The 37-year-old Clear Island Waters man allegedly imported Gamma-Butyrolactone inside plastic bottles labelled as “cleaning supplies”, “skincare products” and “fishing gear”.
The drug has been known to cause death in some users.
Australian Border Force officers in Sydney and Melbourne launched their investigations in November last year after discovering GBL inside “several air cargo consignments” of plastic bottles.
The man was arrested on Wednesday and charged with six counts of importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug under the commonwealth Criminal Code Act, the maximum penalty for which is life imprisonment if convicted.
Australian Federal Police Detective Acting inspector Scott Curtis said investigations remained ongoing.
“GBL is a dangerous substance, normally an industrial chemical solvent found in paint strippers. It is highly addictive and can result in users slipping into comas or even death,” he said.
“Our investigations into who is behind this importation are just getting started. We will be targeting anyone trying to make money from putting the lives of Australians at risk.”
ABF Commander Operations Queensland Chris Waters said the arrest showed how law enforcement was able to work co-operatively at multiple levels.
“My message to those who think they can import these harmful substances is we will catch them and they will face the full force of the law,” he said.
The man will appear in Southport Magistrates Court on Thursday.
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