During the search, officers allegedly discovered dozens of vacuum-sealed bags containing a crystallised substance hidden beneath a thin layer of towels inside their luggage.

Officers seized four shark fins, five kilograms of salted fish and around 400 kilograms of salt used to preserve the catch, along with 1,000 litres of diesel fuel, fishing lines, an air compressor and other equipment. The vessel was later destroyed in accordance with Australian law.

The international student was issued a $660 infringement notice, had his visa cancelled, and was detained before being removed from Australia on the next available flight.

After their visas were cancelled, both individuals one International student another tourist departed Australia.

The Border Force says the action reflects a broader surge in enforcement across northern Australia, confirming a 40 per cent increase in the destruction of seized vessels this financial year compared with the same period last year.

Tasmania recorded one of its largest cigarette seizures just before Christmas, when officers searched a shipping container from Poland and uncovered over 5.4 million illicit cigarettes declared as stretch film.

Investigators reported that some migrant workers were living in squalid conditions described as akin to modern slavery.

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency has issued a public warning about the cancelled and prohibited practitioner, saying he cannot provide any health services and remains under investigation.

The haul is estimated to be enough for roughly 135,000 street-level deals.

Investigators say the 22-year-old man twice contacted the freight forwarder to inquire about the shipment.