Tasmanian man charged with allegedly trafficking 13.4kg of meth through Perth airport

A Tasmanian man has been charged after he was caught allegedly trafficking more than 13 kilograms of meth through an interstate airport. LATEST >

A 32-year-old Tasmanian man has been charged after he was caught allegedly trafficking 13.4kg of meth through Perth airport.

A Tasmanian man has been charged after he was caught allegedly trafficking more than 13 kilograms of meth through an interstate airport.

The man, 32, arrived on a flight from Sydney to Perth on Saturday February 18, and his checked baggage was searched by Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers.

Officers found about 13.5kg of a substance, which they are alleging returned a positive result for methamphetamine.

The man was arrested and charged with trafficking in a commercial quantity of methamphetamine.

He faced Perth Magistrates Court on Sunday, February 19, and is set to reappear in court on March 23 this year.

A 32-year-old Tasmanian man has been charged after he was caught allegedly trafficking 13.4kg of meth through Perth airport.

AFP Inspector Matt Taylor said both AFP and Australian Border Force were aware of people trying to smuggle contraband such as drugs into the country, as travel returns to pre-Covid levels.

“Illicit drugs cause immense harm and we are doing whatever we can to make sure airports remain a hostile environment for criminal syndicates, so they cannot profit at the expense of our communities,” Insp Taylor said.

“The AFP estimates this seizure has saved the community more than $3m in drug related harm, including associated crime, healthcare and loss of productivity.”

The AFP in a statement said criminal syndicates targeted Western Australia because they could sell a kilogram of meth for between $240,000 to $290,000 per kilogram wholesale.

This amount of meth could have been sold as about 134,000 street level deals.