An elderly man will spend more than a decade behind bars after importing 18 kilograms of methamphetamine into Australia in shoeboxes.
The 78-year-old Canadian man was sentenced in the County Court of Victoria yesterday to 12 years imprisonment with a non-parole period of eight years, according to the Australian Federal Police (AFP).
The man was arrested in June 2022 after his luggage was selected for examination by a quarantine official at Melbourne International Airport.
The luggage was then referred to Australian Border Force (ABF) officers who said they found a white crystalline substance inside seven shoeboxes concealed within his suitcase.
The ABF said testing of the substance returned a positive result for methamphetamine and the matter was referred to the AFP.
The man was charged with importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug.
He plead guilty in April 2023 at a plea hearing.
AFP Detective Superintendent Simone Butcher said the AFP is working closely with ABF to ensure these dangerous substances don’t reach Australian communities.
“We know the devastating impact methamphetamine and other drugs have on individuals and our communities – that’s why we’re committed to stopping the flow at our border,” Butcher said.
“The risk of spending significant time in jail – particularly for a foreign national who may be a long way from their family and friends – far outweighs the potential financial gains of importing illicit drugs into Australia.”
