Editor's note: An image of the seized drugs is available via Hightail
A Sydney man has been charged with allegedly possessing 60kg of methamphetamine found inside shopping bags in the boot of a car.
The man, 42, was observed acting suspiciously while driving a car and then a truck in the Sydney suburb of Earlwood on Monday, 24 June 2024.
On Tuesday, 25 June 2024, a search warrant was executed on the truck parked on an Earlwood street, where two shopping bags each containing 1kg of methamphetamine were seized.
On Friday 28 June 2024, a search warrant was executed on the car after it was located in a supermarket carpark at Earlwood. AFP officers located and seized 60kg of methamphetamine located in six cooler shopping bags in the car's boot.
The drugs had an estimated potential street value of $55.5 million.
The Earlwood man was arrested on Saturday, 29 June 2024, and subsequently charged with one count of possess a commercial quantity of unlawfully imported border controlled drugs contrary to section 307.5, by virtue of section 11.1, of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth).
The maximum penalty for this offence is life imprisonment.
A search warrant was later executed at the man's Earlwood home where mobile phones, a laptop, six luxury watches and clothing were seized.
The man appeared before Parramatta Local Court on Sunday, 30 June 2024 where he was remanded in custody to appear in the same court the following day (Monday, 1 July 2024). He will next appear in court on 28 August 2024 at the Downing Centre Local Court.
AFP Detective Superintendent Kristie Cressy said the arrest highlighted the AFP's commitment to combatting drug trafficking.
"The AFP is committed to identifying those responsible for the importation of these illegal drugs and their intended distribution across Australian communities," she said.
"An import of this size had the potential to cause significant harm in our community.
"Criminal syndicates go to great lengths to conceal their activities, but that will never deter the AFP and its domestic and international partners."
The investigation remains ongoing.