Two men have been jailed for a combined 15 years' imprisonment for their roles in importing 84kg of ketamine into Australia concealed inside two new commercial vans.
The men, aged 29 and 30, were charged in July, 2023 as a part of an AFP operation into a transnational drug trafficking syndicate.
The 29-year-old was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment, with a non-parole period of five years, and the 30-year-old was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment, with a non-parole period of four years and four months, by the Downing Centre District Court today (20 December, 2024).
Operation Meribel began in May, 2023, after the AFP received intelligence from law enforcement partners about a criminal syndicate allegedly importing drugs hidden inside commercial vans.
Investigations identified two new commercial vans, being transported in a bulk cargo carrier, had 84kg of ketamine concealed inside. This amount of ketamine had an estimated wholesale value of $3.6 million.
The AFP replaced the illicit drug with a harmless substance before the vehicles were delivered to their intended destination in NSW.
Once the bulk cargo carrier arrived in NSW, the vehicles were transported to a Sydney car dealership and one commercial van was collected.
AFP officers were monitoring the collected commercial van, which contained about half of the substituted drug, when the men allegedly facilitated the stealing of the van by another man. The packages containing the substituted drugs were removed and placed into another vehicle and the van then abandoned.
AFP followed the vehicle carrying the substituted drugs to Smithfield, where officers arrested the two men and executed search warrants on two vehicles.
The men appeared in Parramatta Local Court on 2 July, 2023 charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of border controlled drugs.
The men pleaded guilty before the Downing Centre District Court on 12 December, 2024 to one count of jointly commit an offence with each other, namely did attempt to possess a substance, the substance being reasonably suspected of having been unlawfully imported, the substance being a border controlled drug, namely ketamine, and the quantity attempted to be possessed being a commercial quantity, contrary to sections 11.1(1) and 307.8(1), with subsection 11.2A(1), of the Criminal Code (Cth).
AFP Detective Superintendent Kristie Cressy said the operation was a testament to the strong working relationships the AFP has with law enforcement agencies around the world.
"The AFP is focused on preventing any form of drug from entering the Australian community and causing widespread harm," Det Supt Cressy said.
"This operation showed that crime groups will send any substance they think they can make money from, they do not care about the harm they cause, especially something as insidious as ketamine.
"Ketamine specifically is a dangerous sedative; its dissociative effects block sensory brain signals and can cause memory loss, feelings of being detached from one's body and the inability to perceive dangers.
"The AFP is committed to making Australia a hostile environment for organised crime syndicates."
ABF Superintendent Matt O'Connor said this method of attempt to illegally import border controlled substances is well known to the ABF.
"There were a number of attempts to import illicit substances using roll-on/roll-off cargo vessels in recent years," Superintendent Matt O'Connor said.
"This sentence reflects the severity of the crime and potential harm it can cause to the Australian community."
"Anyone considering involvement in a plot like this should take this as a warning that we will find you and, with our law enforcement partners, prosecute to the fullest extent of the law."