120kg cocaine Border Force seizure at Sydney port

Drugs worth $48 million detected in bags of coffee beans from Central America

Australian Border Force (ABF) officers detected and seized 120kg of cocaine, worth around $48 million, at the Sydney Container Examination Facility (CEF) on Tuesday, 25 April.

The detection was the result of large-scale ABF operational activity targeting border controlled drugs and shipping containers arriving in Australia from South and Central America.

Upon inspection, Border Force officers found the container seal damaged. The container was subsequently x-rayed at the Sydney CEF and further anomalies were discovered.

ABF officers examined the contents of the container, finding three black duffel bags wrapped in black plastic amongst hessian sacks filled with coffee beans.

The duffel bags were opened and found to contain packages wrapped in plastic, with tests confirming the substance to be cocaine.

ABF Commander Enforcement and Detained Goods East, Justin Bathurst, said the ABF is committed to disrupting the activities of people attempting to import illicit drugs.

“The Australian Border Force is committed to protecting Australia’s borders and international ports, and in turn, continuing to keep Australian communities safe,” Cmdr Bathurst said.

“Our goal is to protect our community by ensuring illegal and dangerous drugs do not make their way to our streets.

“In this instance, ABF has been able to prevent approximately 600,000 drug deals.

“ABF’s technical expertise and sophisticated technology means that we will find the drugs, regardless of the method of concealment these criminals use,” he said.