By Kate Hedley
A Perth man will face court on Thursday after being charged with importing close to $80,000 worth of an illicit drug known as 'coma in a bottle' into Western Australia.
The 32-year-old from Girrawheen faces a potentially lengthy prison term if convicted of the importation of 26 litres of gamma-butyrolactone (GBL), also known as liquid ecstasy, with the maximum term for the offence being life imprisonment.
Police swooped on the man's home last month. He will face court on Thursday.Credit: AFP
Australian Border Force officers in Sydney allegedly found the drugs early in September when they examined an air freight consignment from Hong Kong addressed to a residential property in Girrawheen.
Testing of the liquid in the plastic bottles indicated the presence of GBL and the matter was referred to Australian Federal Police.
AFP officers raided the accused man's home on September 14 and charged him with importing commercial quantities of border controlled drugs.
GBL is an industrial chemical found in paint strippers and stain removers and is dangerous to ingest, even in tiny doses.Credit: AFP
AFP Sergeant Chris Colley said GBL was an industrial chemical found in paint strippers and stain removers and was dangerous to ingest, even in tiny doses.
"GBL can cause severe side-effects, including convulsions, loss of consciousness, memory loss, respiratory difficulties, coma, and even death. There are cases of it being used to render people unconscious or unable to defend themselves to facilitate rapes and other sexual crimes," he said.
Sergeant Colley said the drugs seized could have been sold as up to 26,000 street deals, worth approximately $78,000.
"We are working hard with our partners at the borders, locally and internationally, to stop any illicit substances from reaching our communities and causing harm," he said.