Man allegedly caught trying to smuggle 15kg of meth into Australia could face life imprisonment

The Canadian man is set to front court on Wednesday, with the maximum penalty for his alleged crime being life imprisonment.

A Canadian man has been caught allegedly attempting to smuggle about 15kg of meth into the country in his suitcase.

Australian Border Force (ABF) officers examined the 38-year-old’s suitcase after he arrived at Sydney International Airport from Vancouver, Canada, on July 31.

A powdery substance was allegedly found in several vacuum-sealed bags, with further testing revealing the substance was methamphetamine.

Australian Federal Police officers were brought in, and the man was arrested.

The 38-year-old was charged with one count of importing a commercial quantity of a border controller drug, with the maximum penalty being life imprisonment.

A Canadian man attempted to smuggle about 15kg of meth into Australia in his suitcase. Picture: Australian Federal Police.

The maximum penalty is life imprisonment. Picture: Australian Federal Police.

AFP Detective Acting Superintendent Dom Stephenson said the amount of seized “could have accounted for about 150,000 individual hits, had it reached Australian streets”.

“Criminal groups will go to any lengths to bring illicit substances into our country,” Superintendent Stephenson said.

“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 AFP will continue to work tirelessly with the ABF and other partners to ensure these dangerous substances don’t reach our communities.”

The 38-year-old was refused bail while appearing at the Downing Centre Local Court on August 1.

He is set to front the same court on Wednesday.

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