Sneaker smuggling plot comes undone after cocaine found in hidden package
The two men planned to import more than 100g of the drug using a shoebox filled with sneakers and food, the police claim.
Pictures released by the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Border Force show a white powder substance stuffed beneath the soles of a pair of sneakers.
The package was initially intercepted in June 2024 when ABF officers found the 131 grams concealed bag of cocaine in an air cargo shipment from Peru.
The AFP conducted a 'controlled delivery' of the cocaine at a parcel collection point in Darwin on 12 June 2024, where they arrested the two men who unwittingly attempted to collect the parcel – which had been substituted with another white powder.
One of the men, 35, was sentenced to three years in prison, and must serve 15 months before being released on a 21-month suspended sentence.
The other man, 36, was sentenced to 18 months of imprisonment, and having already served six months will be released on a 12-month suspended sentence.
Both men pleaded guilty to their charges in May last year.
AFP Superintendent Greg Davis said the federal police had worked closely with the border force to stop criminals smuggling drugs across the border.
'While it might seem like a relatively small amount of cocaine, it has an estimated street value of more than $65,900 and equated to hundreds of individual street deals of 0.2 grams,' Supt Davis said.
'The AFP, ABF and our partners are committed to stopping illicit drugs from entering Australia and inflicting harm in our communities.'
ABF Commander Tracie Griffin said that the jailing of the two men showed law enforcement agencies' determination to stop drug smuggling and to disrupt criminal syndicates.
'If you try to profit from the harm caused by illicit drugs, no matter how you attempt to hide them, the ABF and our partners will find you and bring you to justice,' Cmdr Griffin said.
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