Australia Blitzes Illicit Drug Operations involving Car Carriers

Transnational organised criminals are attempting to import hundreds of kilograms of illicit drugs into Australia by paying associates to conceal them inside imported vehicles.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Australian Border Force (ABF) have identified a significant increase in attempts to smuggle illicit drugs into Australia inside cars, vans and trucks, with a total of 303kg seized on arrival last year.

AFP intelligence suggests trusted insiders and criminals based offshore are being paid by criminal groups to conceal illicit drugs inside the vehicles before they are placed on a roro vessel sailing to Australia.

The groups will then monitor and track the shipment live in transit using a GPS tracking device hidden inside the vehicle. Once the vehicle arrives at the car dealership, the criminal group will attempt to remove the drugs using a spare key sent from criminals offshore. There is no suggestion that car dealerships are aware of this activity.

In February this year, two Victorian men were charged by the AFP after allegedly attempting to import 139kg of cocaine concealed in 13 luxury buses on board an international cargo ship destined for Adelaide, via Perth.

In another matter in May 2024, over $6.6 million worth of MDMA was discovered during an inspection of a cargo ship at Fremantle Harbour in Western Australia, concealed inside the panels of six new Peugeot vans.

In another incident, two Sydney men were arrested and charged by the AFP in July 2023 after allegedly smuggling 84kg of ketamine concealed inside two new vans imported into Melbourne.

The ketamine was concealed inside 79 plastic bags hidden within the panels of the vehicles. This amount of ketamine has an estimated wholesale value of over $3.3 million.

AFP Commander Paula Hudson said transnational serious organised crime syndicates had targeted new vehicles from car dealerships exported from Europe and South America.

“It’s likely criminals attempting to remove the illicit drugs will dismantle or damage the vehicle during the process,” Commander Hudson said. “People involved in this illicit trade do not care about the harm they cause others, but only about the money they can make.”

ABF Commander Chris Holzeimer said ever-increasing law enforcement cooperation was beginning to make a real dent in the illegal and criminal attempts.

“ABF detection methods are among the best in the world at identifying drugs concealed on roll on/roll off vessels, and our highly trained officers are no strangers to evolving concealment techniques.”