Millions of dollars worth of heroin found hidden in model truck
More than 30kg of heroin was found hidden in a model truck being shipped from Thailand to Australia.
A sea freight shipment by truck arrived at Port Botany, NSW on March 16th.
Australian Border Force (ABF) officers found 35kg of heroin hidden in a metal compartment of the truck, which itself weighed more than 100kg.
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The quantity of heroin found has an estimated wholesale value of about US$10 million and a street value of more than US$14 million, according to the Australian Federal Police (AFP).
It also equates to 175,000 street bids in NSW.
AFP officers removed the heroin from the truck and then reassembled the item so it didn’t appear tampered with.
The truck was delivered to a flat in Haymarket two weeks later and a Laos man was arrested after accepting the package.
“AFP issued another search warrant at a different address in connection with the man who was arrested the same day in Haymarket where a number of items were seized for further investigation,” AFP said.
The 80 pounds of heroin found in the model truck has an estimated wholesale value of approximately $10 million and a street value of more than $14 million. Credit: AFP
AFP Sergeant Alex Drummond said it was unusual for an individual to have the means to import a commercial quantity of heroin into Australia himself.
“An organized crime syndicate is typically behind such imports because of the complexity of sourcing the heroin, the cost of shipping it to Australia and the connections required to sell it onshore,” he said.
“AFP is working closely with its international law enforcement partners in Thailand and Laos to trace the origin of the heroin and to identify other members of the syndicate behind this importation.”
The 21-year-old man was accused of importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug.
He appeared in Downing Center Local Court on March 31 and was refused bail to next appear at Sydney Downing Center on May 24.
The maximum penalty for this offense is life imprisonment.
“If this amount of heroin had reached the Australian community, the estimated total social cost would have been more than $45 million – through crime, increased health and justice costs and lost productivity,” AFP said.
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https://7news.com.au/news/drugs-and-alcohol/millions-of-dollars-worth-of-heroin-found-concealed-in-model-truck-c-10233936 Millions of dollars worth of heroin found hidden in model truck