A 47-year-old man has been arrested after allegedly trying to smuggle heroin in the handle of his suitcase.
The Australian-Afghan international was stopped by Australian Border Force officers when arriving at Adelaide Airport from overseas yesterday.
Following a search, the officers allegedly identified a black fluid oozing from the handle of the man’s suitcase, where a presumptive test returned a positive result for heroin.
Subsequently, 500 grams of the substance was removed from the man’s suitcase.
The Australian Federal Police charged the man with one count of importing a marketable quantity of a border controlled substance.
The maximum penalty for this offence is 25 years’ imprisonment.
He appeared in Adelaide Magistrates Court today and is expected to reappear in court on September 23.
AFP Detective Acting Superintendent Simon Lalic said officers worked closely with the ABF.
“The AFP and its partners are committed to disrupting all levels of the drug trade and stopping anyone trying to profit at the expense of our community,” Lalic said.
“Criminals are motivated by greed. They have no regard for the significant harmful impacts these illicit drugs have on our community.”
ABF Superintendent Jody Griswood said frontline officers were always vigilant.
“ABF officers at the border are highly trained, experienced and alert. They know exactly what to look for when selecting travellers and their baggage for further examination,” Griswood said.
“This isn’t an isolated case and it’s not based on luck.
“These successes happen across our airports every week and this is just one example of the outstanding work ABF officers do every day to protect our borders and our communities.”
