Narcos on the front line: Biggest drug busts in Australia in 2023
These are some of the biggest drug busts stopped by authorities from hitting our streets just this year alone. See the list and who was caught.
Narcos on the Front Line
Don't miss out on the headlines from Narcos on the Front Line. Followed categories will be added to My News.
From swallowing Kinder Surprise eggs allegedly filled with cocaine to allegedly importing hundreds of kilograms of methamphetamine hidden in shipments – these are some of the drugs stopped by authorities from hitting our streets just this year.
JUNE 14:
CANADA TO MELBOURNE
Six men charged with allegedly trying to import $1.7b worth methamphetamine hidden in consignments of canola oil.
MAY 28:
Turkey to Sydney
Man, 35, charged with allegedly organising the importation of 347.9kg of heroin into Sydney in December 2020, while based in Thailand. AFP alleges the man – who was arrested by Turkish police – has extensive links to transnational organised crime groups.
MAY 24:
Mexico to Sydney
300kg of methamphetamine – worth $273m – found hidden in a consignment shipped from Mexico which arrived in NSW on April 18. AFP revealed the drugs were hidden inside a steel hydraulic press.
Watch episode 5 of the Narcos on the front line series above.
MAY 13:
Northern Ireland to Perth
Perth man, 32, charged with allegedly importing cocaine through the mail from Northern Ireland into West Australia and with allegedly dealing with more than $350,000 in cash suspected of being proceeds of crime.
MAY 5
United States to Sydney
Sydney man, 38, charged with allegedly importing more than 130kg of methamphetamine concealed in floor scrubbers. Authorities in the US tipped off their Australian counterparts in January about the alleged concealments.
APRIL 26
United States to Perth
Alleged bikie, 28, arrested at Perth International Airport in connection to the alleged importation of 176g of pure methamphetamine from the US via air cargo. Authorities alerted in August 2022 by a courier service after two becoming suspicious about two packages said to be containing documents.
APRIL 23
Mexico to Melbourne via Hong Kong
45kg of methamphetamine destined for Australia seized by Hong Kong Customs and Excise officers. AFP officers in Hong Kong tipped off by counterparts in Mexico regarding suspicious shipment en route to Melbourne.
APRIL 21
Canada to Queensland
Queensland man, 21, charged over the alleged importation of 2kg of methamphetamine sent from Canada to Queensland hidden inside two clothing parcels. The drugs were allegedly sealed inside plastic bags hidden within jumpers containing a crystalline substance that returned a positive reading for methamphetamine.
APRIL 19
Philippines to Sydney
Gold Coast man, 56, charged with seven offences over the alleged importation of 1kg of cocaine after an investigation in 2022 allegedly found the drug in an air cargo shipment sent to Sydney from the Philippines.
APRIL 6
Turkey to Melbourne
Melbourne man, 43, with alleged links to Middle Eastern organised crime charged over the alleged importation of 500 litres of methamphetamine, valued at about $46m. The drugs were allegedly found concealed in barrels of white vinegar imported into Melbourne from Turkiye in February.
APRIL 4
Malaysia to Brisbane
336kg shipment of heroin – with a street value of $268.8m – sent from Malaysia to Brisbane intercepted, with a Sydney man 55 charged after collecting the consignment in Brisbane and transporting it to Sydney. The 960 packages of drugs were allegedly hidden in two concrete blocks, each weighing about 500kg, that were marked as solar panel accessories.
APRIL 2
Thailand to Sydney
Man, 21 from Laos charged with allegedly attempting to import more than 35kg of heroin concealed in a model truck. The drugs – with a street value of more than $14m – were allegedly found hidden in the red and blue model truck sent to Port Botany via sea cargo from Thailand in March 2023.
MARCH 23
No county of origin listed
Four men charged with allegedly attempting to import 60kg of methamphetamine – worth $18m – into Sydney allegedly hidden in an industrial magnet. Four men – aged 21, 22, 25, and 30 – were arrested as they allegedly attempted to access the consignment with an angle grinder.
MARCH 23
OFF WA COAST
Third man wanted over the alleged importation of more than 300kg of cocaine into Western Australia arrested after allegedly found hiding under a home spa. The 49-year-old was arrested after an alleged six-week manhunt.
MARCH 17
United Kingdom to Western Australia
British national, 54, charged with the alleged importation of more than 4kg of methamphetamine sent to Western Australia from the United Kingdom. The man had been in Australia for only a month.
MARCH 10
Off WA coast
Second man, 45, charged after the alleged discovery of more than 300kg of cocaine in waters off Western Australia’s Great Southern region.
MARCH 9
Thailand to Sydney
Sydney man, 31, charged after allegedly trying to collect more than 3kg of heroin imported from Thailand. Australian Border Force officers allegedly found the drugs in a package labelled as “cloth” and hidden among silk table runners.
MARCH 3
Greece to Melbourne
Melbourne man, 31, charged after allegedly importing 24kg of cocaine – with an estimated street value of $10m – concealed in a consignment of water pumps sent from Greece.
MARCH 2
Afghanistan to Australia
AFP reveals outlaw motorcycle gangs are conspiring with offshore criminal gangs to import methamphetamine from Afghanistan into Australia. Since 2021, more than 250kg of Afghan-produced methamphetamine, with an estimated street value of $225 million, was prevented from coming to Australia.
FEBRUARY 23
Nepal to Australia
Two Nepalese nationals, both aged 21, charged with allegedly transporting about 450g of drugs from Sydney inside tubes of hair dye.
FEBRUARY 19
Europe to Perth
Woman, 27, charged after allegedly ingesting 124 pellets filled with almost 1kg of cocaine before travelling to Australia. The woman was arrested at Perth International Airport following a flight from Europe.
FEBRUARY 18
South Africa to Sydney
Three men – aged 42, 47 and 44 – charged with allegedly importing about 34kg of methamphetamine concealed in 22 resin coated statues wrapped in bubble wrap. Two of the man were arrested after getting off a flight from South Africa, while the third man was arrested inside the airport terminal.
FEBRUARY 14
Off WA coast
Man, 36, charged after authorities discovered about 365 kilograms of cocaine in coastal waters in Western Australia’s Great Southern region. A black plastic-wrapped package containing multiple smaller packages of cocaine washed ashore near Denmark off WA’s coast six days earlier.
FEBRUARY 10
Canada to Perth
A Canadian man, 22, charged after trying to collect a parcel that allegedly contained about 2kg of methamphetamine. A search of his Perth CBD hotel room by AFP officers allegedly found another 1kg of methamphetamine.
JANUARY 28
No country of origin listed
NSW man, 31, charged by National Anti-Gangs Squad officers after allegedly attempting to import about 27.5kg of phenylethylamine HCL, which is an analogue of amphetamine and can be used as a cutting agent for illicit stimulants.
JANUARY 8
United States to Sydney via South Africa
US national, 66, faced court changed with allegedly importing methamphetamines concealed in the lining of a suitcase. It is the third time in a week that a foreign traveller has been charged for allegedly importing illicit drugs through Australian airports.
JANUARY 6
Portugal to Sydney
Traveller from Portugal charged with allegedly importing about 1.6kg of cocaine concealed in his body. The man was arrested after flying into Sydney on January 1 from France, via Hong Kong and later taken to a local hospital for a CT scan where 100 pellets each weighing about 16g were discovered inside him.
JANUARY 4
Ireland to Melbourne
Irish national, 28, charged with allegedly importing about 120g of cocaine concealed internally inside six Kinder Surprise capsules. The man was arrested after arriving at Melbourne International Airport on a flight from the Middle East on December 28, 2022.
Originally published as Narcos on the front line: Biggest drug busts in Australia in 2023
Drug lords behind Australia’s meth supply chain arrested
The Sinaloa cartel boss and El Chapo’s son, who play a huge role in the illicit drug trade on our streets, are now in custody.
Read more
AN0M app bust: What’s next after 62 convictions
Criminals using the “secret” AN0M app have been sentenced to three centuries of jail time, with dozens of cases still to hit court. See some of them who’ve been convicted.
Read more