Two men, one from Perth and another from Valley View, S.A. have been arrested following a controlled delivery made by the Australian Federal Police (AFP).
The arrests come after officers from Australian Customs and Border Protection Services (ACBPS) intercepted a shipment of two treadmills from China that arrived into Sydney, consigned to an address in New South Wales. ACBPS officers carried out an examination of the treadmill and discovered 16kgs of methamphetamine hidden in the steel frames of the gym equipment.
With the discovery handed over to the AFP a controlled delivery was carried out.
It is alleged that in early February this year that one of the men changed the address for delivery of the shipment to Gilberton in Adelaide. The AFP in Adelaide took charge of the controlled delivery, with the thirty-seven year old man from Perth being arrested close to this address after he had made arrangements to pick up the consignment.
The Valley View man, aged twenty-seven, was arrested a short time later in Greenfields. A search warrant executed at the home revealed $14,500 in cash along with a number of evidentiary items.
AFP Manager Adelaide Office Matthew Varley said investigations were continuing to identify other members involved in this criminal enterprise.
“Yesterday’s arrests are a great example of the work the AFP does in South Australia, in concert with our partners at the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service and South Australia Police, who provided assistance in the execution of search warrants and the collection of evidence,” Commander Varley said.
“Preventing 16 kilograms of a dangerous and addictive drug from reaching the community is a positive result, and we will be liaising with our colleagues interstate and internationally to further investigate and disrupt the organisers of this importation.”
Both men were each charged with one count of importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, contrary to section 307.1 of the Criminal Code Act 1995.
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