A South Australian man was sentenced in the Adelaide District Court yesterday (15 January 2025) to more than five years in prison following an Australian Border Force (ABF) investigation into the importation of pseudoephedrine.
The 31-year-old man was arrested in 2022 after ABF officers intercepted and seized two parcels sent from India containing cooking utensils addressed to a property in western Adelaide.
The parcels were found to contain a total of 5kg of pseudoephedrine, a precursor chemical used primarily in the manufacture of methamphetamine.
On 8 July 2022, ABF officers, together with the South Australian Police, conducted a managed delivery of the two parcels and a search of the man's house, where he admitted to importing the pseudoephedrine in order to pay off a drug debt. He said he was paid $10,000 to import the parcels.
He was charged with two counts of importing a commercial quantity of a Border Controlled Precursor (s307.11 Criminal Code Act) and denied bail.
Further investigations resulted in a third charge against the man after an additional 2.98kg of pseudoephedrine, found concealed in a picture frame and clothing, again mailed from India, was intercepted by ABF officers.
?In court today, the man received a sentence of five years and four months imprisonment, with a non-parole period of two years and nine months. Taking into account time served, he will be eligible for parole in August 2025.
He was also sentenced for the state-based offence of trafficking a controlled drug after pleading guilty following a South Australian police investigation, and sentenced to three years and eleven months imprisonment.
ABF Chief Superintendent Bart England said the quantity of pseudoephedrine seized by officers at the border could have resulted in the manufacture methamphetamine worth more than a million dollars on the street, and caused immeasurable harm.
"Our officers are alert to the different ways criminals attempt to conceal drugs at the border, they really have seen it all," Chief Superintendent England said.
"We will act swiftly with our law enforcement partners to ensure these individuals face the consequences before the courts, including the sentencing here today.
"This should serve as a warning to others who think they can import illicit drugs into our country and cause our community immeasurable harm."??
Anyone with information about suspicious activity which may impact the security of Australia's borders is urged to report to Border Watch online. By reporting suspicious activities, you help protect Australia's border and the community.