A Victorian man has been charged at Melbourne Airport overnight with alleged drug importation offences, as part of AFP Operation Kraken-Ryloth.
The AFP responded to an alert that a Fawkner man, 33, identified during Operation Kraken, was trying to depart Australia for Doha, Qatar last night (24 September, 2024).
The AFP arrested the man, who has alleged links to the Mongol Outlaw Motorcycle Group, at Melbourne Airport.
He is expected to face the Melbourne Magistrates' Court today (25 September 2024), charged with two counts of importing a commercial quantity of border-controlled drugs, namely methamphetamine, contrary to section 307.1(1) of the Criminal Code Act 1995. The maximum penalty for the offence is life imprisonment.
As part of Operation Kraken, police executed two search warrants on properties linked to the man last week (17 September 2024). During the search warrants at a Fawkner address, police allegedly found evidence the man was communicating with criminal entities overseas via the encrypted criminal communications 'Ghost' application to coordinate the importation of illicit drugs into Australia.
The AFP will allege in court the man was behind the importation of two separate consignments of methamphetamine, each weighing approximately 3kg.
This amount of methamphetamine would equate to 60,000 street deals with an estimated street value of $5,550,000 had it not been found and seized.
The investigation was launched thanks to intelligence obtained through the AFP's disruption of the encrypted platform.