Australian Border Force (ABF) officers have intercepted one of New South Wales’ largest-ever amphetamine shipments, seizing 900kg of the drug concealed in a shipping container at Port Botany.
AFP Detective Superintendent Morgen Blunden said the bust highlighted how criminal networks often piggyback on genuine shipments.
“The AFP is attending Port Botany on a regular basis and has seized multiple shipments containing a range of drugs,” Det-Supt Blunden said.
On 20 August, officers targeted a container declared as “vegetable spring roll and more” using intelligence-led profiling. An x-ray scan revealed anomalies, and on unpacking the consignment, officers discovered 600 rolls of plastic film, each concealing around 1.5kg of amphetamine – with an estimated street value of more than $64 million.
Detector dogs gave a positive reaction, and testing confirmed the substance was amphetamine, also known as “speed.”
ABF Superintendent Jared Leighton praised the operation, calling it “a remarkable result.”
“Containers aren’t randomly selected for inspection; we use a sophisticated intelligence and risk assessment-based approach, which has proven to yield significant results,” Supt Leighton said.
“The scale of harm that would have been caused if these drugs landed in our community is unimaginable.”
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) took carriage of the matter, executing search warrants at a North Shore home and a Western Sydney warehouse.
Investigators later confirmed the shipment was a legitimate import that had been exploited by a transnational organised crime group.
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