A 26-year-old man from the NSW South Coast is expected to appear in Nowra Local Court today, accused of attempting to import a marketable quantity of the powerful synthetic opioid nitazenes into Australia.
The investigation began in November last year after Australian Border Force officers intercepted a consignment from the United Kingdom containing about three grams of nitazenes, allegedly disguised as small round blue pills marked with letters and numbers. The package was addressed to a location on the South Coast, prompting a referral to the Australian Federal Police.
AFP investigators identified a local man as the alleged intended recipient and executed a search warrant at his South Nowra workplace in December, seizing a mobile phone that allegedly contained tracking screenshots and encrypted messages. Further searches of a vehicle and a Nowra home uncovered a yellow tablet, postal and heat-seal packaging with residue, clip-seal bags, a bag containing a white crystalline substance and a laptop.
The man has been charged with importing a marketable quantity of a border-controlled drug, an offence that carries a maximum penalty of 25 years’ imprisonment.
AFP Detective Superintendent Morgen Blunden said nitazenes were exceptionally potent and posed a serious risk to life even in small amounts, while ABF Acting Superintendent Naryl Brown warned that seemingly minor mail importations could have devastating consequences if not detected at the border.
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