Sydney man charged over the alleged importation of 22kg of cocaine from South Africa

A Sydney man is charged over the importation of 22kg of cocaine into Australia from South Africa hidden inside suitcases. 

Australian Border Force (ABF) officers selected the Liverpool man, 25, for a baggage examination after he disembarked a flight from Johannesburg via Doha, Qatar to Sydney.

ABF officers located 22 packages wrapped in plastic inside the suitcases. The packages contained a white powder and presumptive testing of the substance returned a positive result for cocaine.

The ABF referred the matter to the AFP, who seized the packages and charged the man with one count of importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug, namely cocaine, contrary to section 307.1(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth), which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.