A 33-year-old West Australian man has been fined $60,000 in Perth Magistrates Court today after being found guilty of three counts of importing ‘ice’ pipes through the post in 2014.
Hoang Nam Nguyen was summonsed in July 2014, after investigators from the then Australian Customs and Border Protection Service (ACBPS) executed a search warrant at his “Cloud 9 Smoke Shop & Accessories” business premises in Perth. More than 300 ‘ice’ pipes were located and seized.
Investigators conducted the search after detecting a number of parcels sent to Nguyen from China between May and July 2014, which contained commercial quantities of ‘ice’ pipes.
Upon his arrest, Nguyen was charged with importing prohibited imports through the post, in contravention of section 233(1)(b) of the Customs Act 1901. In addition to his $60,000 fine, Nguyen was ordered to pay $36,500 in court costs and a conviction has been recorded.
Australian Border Force Acting Commander Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Craig Palmer, said that these types of glass pipes found are prohibited as they can be used to administer methamphetamine, or ‘ice’.
He said importers of prohibited drug paraphernalia were taking significant risks which put themselves and their community in danger.
“We know that ‘ice’ is a dangerous drug that does enormous harm to our community,” Acting Commander Palmer said.
“The Australian Border Force is committed to taking the fight up to those who intend to profit from community suffering by not just stopping illicit drugs at the border, but also targeting the importation of the implements used to consume them.
“The significant fine imposed on Nguyen highlights how serious Australian authorities are about protecting our community and taking swift action against those responsible for putting our safety at risk.”
