Latest news with #AustralianBorderForce
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Sickening alleged discovery on young Australian doctor's mobile phone
Police have allegedly found thousands of videos and photos of child abuse material on a married doctor's phone. Dr Gregory John Couch's phone was seized at Melbourne Airport by Australian Border Force officers in May. The 37-year-old's phone was referred to State Crime Command's Sex Crimes Squad, where detectives located over 5,000 files – both videos and photos – of child abuse material. Following extensive inquiries, about 6am today (Tuesday 24 June 2025), strike force detectives executed a search warrant in Albury where they arrested him. Couch was charged with possess child abuse material, use carriage etc to access child abuse material, and intentionally import prohibited tier two goods. Couch worked at Liverpool Hospital in Sydney 's south west before relocating to the Gold Coast earlier this year.
News.com.au
4 days ago
- Health
- News.com.au
Warning over ‘genuine' looking drugs caught at border
Counterfeit drugs, including cosmetic injectables, weight-loss drugs, and ivermectin tablets, have been seized at Australia's borders, prompting a fresh round of safety alerts from the Therapeutic Goods Administration. The alerts follow the TGA detecting attempted imports of the counterfeit pharmaceuticals and instructing the Australian Border Force to seize and destroy any intercepted products. The seized products were packaged in professional-looking branding designed to mimic legitimate medications. Testing confirmed many of them contained incorrect doses of active ingredients. Among the haul were 'substandard' Fitaro-branded semaglutide syringes, an in-demand diabetes drug also used for weight loss that is experiencing a global shortage. 'We have conducted testing on several Fitaro-branded pre-filled syringes labelled as containing semaglutide,' the TGA alert said. 'Laboratory analysis found the following dosage strengths contain less than the stated amount of the active pharmaceutical ingredient semaglutide.' The TGA has declared the syringes counterfeit and warned they may pose serious health risks. Also seized were counterfeit versions of Laroscorbine Platinum, a cosmetic injectable claiming to contain vitamin C and collagen. The products were labelled as if manufactured by Roche, a company that discontinued Laroscorbine production two decades ago. 'While these products appear genuine, Roche has confirmed they no longer manufacture Laroscorbine, and this, along with any product identified as Roche branded Laroscorbine is not genuine,' the TGA said. The agency warned these fakes 'to the untrained eye, may appear legitimate, highlighting the need to purchase your medicines from legitimate sources using the lawful supply chain'. Packaging for the Laroscorbine counterfeit shows a 'Beware of Counterfeit' label. The border crackdown also uncovered new batches of counterfeit ivermectin, a drug that gained notoriety during the Covid-19 pandemic despite being widely discredited as a treatment for the virus. Products labelled Iverjohn-12 and Ivervid-12 have been flagged in alerts since 2021. 'We have tested a further two imported, unregistered ivermectin products and found they are counterfeit under the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989,' the TGA said. 'As with the previous warnings issued, these products were purchased online from an overseas website and were not bought from an Australian pharmacy.' The TGA is urging all consumers to immediately stop using these products and take any remaining doses to a local pharmacy for safe disposal. Anyone concerned about side effects should consult a doctor. The TGA is warning consumers to be extremely cautious when purchasing medicines online, noting that products bought from overseas websites may be counterfeit, contain hidden or harmful ingredients, and often fail to meet Australian standards for safety, quality, and effectiveness. Counterfeit drugs cannot be imported under the Personal Importation Scheme, and knowingly importing or distributing them is illegal.
NZ Herald
22-06-2025
- NZ Herald
Sydney Airport bust: Kiwi man allegedly tried to smuggle 10kg of cocaine in suitcase
A Kiwi man living in Australia has been charged with allegedly attempting to import over 10kg of cocaine in his suitcase after being stopped at Sydney Airport on Thursday. The 28-year-old New Zealand national, who is a permanent resident of Australia, had his baggage searched by Australian Border Force (ABF)
West Australian
21-06-2025
- West Australian
Illegal fishing boats double in five-month surge off Australian waters with 60 destroyed
Maritime patrols have intercepted a sharp rise in illegal fishing activity off Australia's northern waters, with the number of foreign vessels more than doubling in the past five months. The recent surge — where one boat was caught with more than half a tonne of sea cucumbers — comes after almost 270 vessels were netted between July 1 and May 30. Nearly 60 boats have since been destroyed as part of the crackdown. Many of the intercepted boats are small, narrow-hulled vessels typically designed only for travel near shore. Authorities have seized large quantities of illegally harvested sea cucumber, shark fin, salt used to preserve the catch, and smaller amounts of other marine species. The rise in boat arrivals — 169 of the 270 were in the past six months — comes after Australia had seen a dip in recent years. In total, 229 vessels have had fishing gear and/or catch forfeited under Australian legislation. The bulk of the activity has been off the Northern Territory coast, with 212 foreign fishers prosecuted in Darwin Local Court since July 1 last year. During one raid near the Cobourg Peninsula in the Northern Territory on May 21, authorities seized 600 kilograms of sea cucumber and 330kg of salt from a boat of eight fishermen. The 600kg seized sea cucumber, also known as trepang, was estimated to be worth $60,000. Their vessel was destroyed and all on board were charged. The skipper was sentenced to a two-month jail term, to be released after 21 days on a $2000 undertaking to be of good behaviour for a period of two years. The remainder received a six-week sentence, but can be released after three weeks. Soaring prices for sea cucumber and shark fins, among other produce, had been blamed for the swell of fishers travelling to Australian waters. Australian Fisheries Management Authority's fisheries manager Justin Bathurst said the foreign nationals undertook enormous risk in travelling to Australia as they could be detained, face heavy fines and their ships can be burnt or sunk. 'Illegal foreign fishers choosing to fish illegally in Australia are taking considerable risks. They will lose their catch, fishing gear, vessel and could even go to jail,' Mr Bathurst said. But monitoring in excess of 30,000km of coastline, much of which is situated in very remote areas, poses a challenge and stretches authorities resources. In a multi-agency operation, AFMA works with the Australian Border Force to deter illegal fishing, along with patrols watching for people smugglers and other unlawful activity. Beyond aerial, land and sea surveillance, Australian authorities also undertake targeted campaigns within Indonesian fishing communities, including through social media and releasing educational material. The foreign boats — usually from Indonesia — breaching Australian water has been an ongoing issue off northern waters and doesn't stop short at just fishing vessels with people smugglers also using smaller boats. At least 10 boats containing up to 183 people in total were intercepted by Australia's Operation Sovereign Borders between the start of the financial year to the end of April, Department of Home Affairs told AFR. But rather than the larger boats which were intercepted at the height of Australia's illegal boat arrival crisis, data shows a new trend emerging of small vessels ferrying just a handful of people.
RNZ News
19-06-2025
- RNZ News
Pacific news in brief for 20 June 2025
An NGO carrying out testing on drugs at an event - including this this bag of cocaine, in Colombia, in 2021. Photo: AFP/ Juan Pablo Pino The French Directorate General of Customs says 67 kilograms of cocaine has been seized in New Caledonia between April and May this year. Local media reported the operation resulted in the discovery of more than 500 kilograms of narcotics at various ports across the region. New Caledonia and French Polynesia Customs took part in a joint operation with the Australian Border Force, New Zealand Customs, the US Homeland Security Investigations and Jamaica. At the end of March this year, 142 kilograms of cocaine was seized in French Polynesia. It was found packed in insulation panels of a refrigerated container bound for Australia. Fiji police have reported 105 cases of family violence against women and children for May 2025. More than 200 women had crimes committed against them - 11 percent of these were sexual offences and 89 percent were assault-related. Seventy-two of those crimes were from a spouse or partner. One hundred and 14 children had crimes done against them and more than two-thirds of those were sexual offences. Five police officers were charged with offences during the month - including one facing charges of unlawful supply and import of illicit drugs. Police said there was a 14 per cent reduction in overall crime which is ahead of its 10 per cent target. The Fijian Elections Office says FJ$44,000 - about US$20,000 - in temporary worker payments from the 2018 General Election remain unpaid. FBC reported this has come to light during the Public Accounts Committee submission on the election office's 2021-2022 Audit Report. The election office's financial controller said the delay was caused by incomplete employee information for some of the 12,000 temporary election workers. The office said they are closely coordinating with the Fiji National Provident Fund to verify the remaining employee data to fast-track this process. The mining company New Porgera is celebrating achieving its production targets, despite the impact of continuing lawlessness and a devastating landslide in the region. The new company, run by Barrick Gold, but with a significant PNG Government shareholding, replaced the former company after a lease dispute shut it down for more than three years. The Porgera region of Enga Province experienced the devastating Mulitaka landslide, which claimed many lives and shut the main road link out of the district. There have also been extensive law and order issues that resulted in a state of emergency being implemented, and dozens of arrests being made, many for illegal mining within the mine pit. The Papua New Guinea Correctional Service has signed an agreement with the Department of Education which will see education and training programmes rolled out in jails across the country. NBC reported that the memorandum highlights the vital role education plays in restoring dignity, instilling hope, and creating opportunities for those seeking a second chance. The rollout of structured learning and skills training within prisons is expected to transform lives behind bars. Acting corrections commissioner Bernard Nepo called the initiative a lifeline for inmates.
