Man charged after 20 kg of heroin found in luggage at Sydney Airport

Sydney, March 25 (IANS) Australian police have charged a man over an alleged attempt to smuggle 20 kg of heroin into the country from Thailand.

The Australian Border Force (ABF) and Australian Federal Police (AFP) said on Wednesday that the 26-year-old man from the state of New South Wales was selected for a baggage examination on arrival at Sydney Airport on a flight from Bangkok on January 24.

During the examination, ABF officers located 34 vacuum-sealed bags containing a combined 20 kg of heroin.

According to authorities, the heroin had an estimated value of 10 million Australian dollars ($7 million) and could have supplied 100,000 street deals.

The case was turned over to AFP officers, who arrested the 26-year-old and charged him with one count of importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug, which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

AFP Detective Superintendent Morgen Blunden said that the attempted importation highlights the determination of organized crime groups to exploit international travel pathways for profit, Xinhua news agency reported.

Earlier on December 8, Australian authorities had charged a New Zealand national after 21 kg of heroin was located hidden in luggage at Sydney Airport.

The AFP and ABF had said in a joint statement that the 21-year-old man from New Zealand had been selected for a baggage examination on arrival at Sydney Airport on a flight from Thailand.

During the examination, ABF officers had allegedly located 21 vacuum-sealed bags containing a white powdered substance. Subsequent testing returned a positive result for heroin, which had an estimated total weight of 21 kg.

AFP officers had seized the packages and charged the man with one count of importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug. At the time, authorities had noted that if convicted, he faced a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

According to authorities, the seized volume of heroin had an estimated value of over 10 million Australian dollars ($6.6 million) and could have supplied around 100,000 street-level deals.

--IANS

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