Australian Customs and Border Protection Service (ACBPS) officers have reported that another shipment has arrived into Australia containing a concealment of methamphetamine.
Ten boxes of lamps arrived into Sydney originating from Hong Kong. On the 7th January, ACBPS officers performed a physical examination along with an x-ray of the consignment, finding a white crystalline substance which (presumptively) tested positive to methamphetamine.
The shipment was then handed over to the Australian Federal Police for further investigating and analysis. Each lamp base contained (an estimate) of 1 kilogram of methamphetamine, therefore bringing the weight of the total concealment to 10 kilograms.
A controlled delivery of the cargo was then made, with two Taiwanese nationals being arrested.
The 27-year-old man was charged with importing a commercial quantity of border controlled drugs, contrary to section 307.1 of the Criminal Code Act 1995. He was also charged with attempt to possess a commercial quantity of unlawfully imported border controlled drugs, contrary to section 307.5, by virtue of section 11.1, of the Criminal Code Act 1995.
The 25-year-old woman was charged with attempt to possess a commercial quantity of unlawfully imported border controlled drugs, contrary to section 307.5, by virtue of section 11.1, of the Criminal Code Act 1995.
This isn’t the first shipment of lamps that have contained a concealment of drugs. Back in April of 2012 a shipment arrived into Adelaide from Malaysia containing ContacNT (a cold and flu medication that is sold over the counter in China, it contains a high amount of pseudoephedrine – used to manufacture methamphetamine). A 23 year old Malaysian man was gaoled for 3 years after pleading guilty to the attempt to import this border controlled precursor.
It appears that there are no boundaries when it comes to drug concealments. Read about shipments of vitamins, metal shafts and tennis racquets all seized for containing methamphetamine.
Credit to Australian Customs and Border Protection Services & the AFP
