The Australian Federal Police (AFP) launched an investigation in October 2022 after an airline reported suspicious activity near the cargo area of a Sydney-bound flight departing Johannesburg, South Africa.

Opening her address at Senate Estimates on Wednesday evening, Commissioner Barrett said it was the AFP’s first appearance since the Bondi Beach terrorist attack on 14 December 2025, which remains the subject of an active criminal investigation and a Royal Commission.

These scams, which combine emotional manipulation with financial deception, unfold quickly and convincingly, often preying on vulnerable individuals navigating major life changes.

The assets were originally seized by the Australian Federal Police in July 2022 during an operation that dismantled the alleged syndicate.

AFP officers visited the man’s home and issued him with official information outlining the illegality of publicly displaying Nazi symbols.

Investigators had worked intensively to assess whether the accused acted alone and whether there was any ongoing risk to the community.

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.

If convicted, the charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment.

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.

Officers allegedly uncovered dozens of shrink-wrapped bricks containing a white substance inside the suitcases.