Aussie traveller faces decade in jail over find in Esky en route to Christmas Island
Methamphetamine has been found stuffed into a bag of raw mince meat stopped at the border.
It was in an Esky full of meat which arrived at Christmas Island Airport by freight late last year — now, three men face drug trafficking charges over the discovery, and could spend a collective 30 years in jail if found guilty.
The 28g bag of meth, sealed in a snap-lock bag and then hidden in a freezer bag full of mince, was tested to confirm the substance and flagged with the Australian Federal Police on November 15.
A West Australian man, 50, will face court on Monday over the find.
It comes after two Christmas Island men — aged 24 and 30 — were charged in February over the Esky discovery. Each of the men faces one count of attempting to traffic a controlled drug, namely methamphetamine. They remain before the courts.
'Police allege the Christmas Island locals paid the WA man to purchase and send them the drugs,' AFP said.
The 50-year-old WA man was stopped at Perth Airport as he returned home from regional WA on May 9 — a search warrant was executed both there and later at his Cannington home.
'A mobile phone, clothing and other items were seized,' police said
The man was charged with one count of traffic a controlled drug, namely methamphetamine.
Both he and the Christmas Island locals each face a decade behind bars, the maximum penalty if found guilty of their charges.
AFP Inspector Dave Reis said, 'methamphetamine is a devastating drug that causes immeasurable harm to users and their families, especially in smaller communities.'
'The criminals who push these substances are driven by greed and profit and have zero regard for the lives they ruin.'
ABF Superintendent Shaun Senior added that the border force is vigilant at the air freight facilities at airports, 'regardless of the size of the facility or how the packages are concealed.'
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Mercury
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News.com.au
19 hours ago
- News.com.au
Drones rain down in Israel-Iran
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One of the drones – the Shahed 136 – stretches 3.5m long and has a 2.5m wingspan. Lightweight, it is comprised of mostly foam and plywood, and has a range of more than 1500 miles (2414km). Ukraines spiderweb drone assault Drones are becoming increasingly popular in modern warfare. 'Drone use has been extensive in the Nagorno-Karabakh war, Russo-Ukraine, Syria, Iraq against ISIS, Gaza, the Hezbollah Israel war in 2024 and now,' Associate Professor Ahmed Hashim, an expert in war studies in the Middle East for Deakin University, told But while drones are cost-effective, and can be used for a range of purposes from surveillance to targeted strikes, Dr Hashim noted 'long-distance drones are slow and provide the target with plenty of warning time'. He said drones are more potent when used with infiltration by special teams such as in Ukraine's 'Spider Web' assault earlier this month. The assault, which took 18 months to plan and execute, saw Ukraine smuggle drones across the Russian border hidden in trucks, which then drove to the sites of military bases. At a co-ordinated moment, the trucks released their drones, which then attack while being controlled remotely. 'Planning, organisation, every detail was perfectly executed. It can be said with confidence that this was an absolutely unique operation,' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said after the assault. In the immediate aftermath of the operation, Ukraine's security forces claimed to have taken out about a third of Russia's strategic bombers, partially crippling Vladimir Putin's capacity to launch long-distance missile strikes. Lieutenant General Vasyl Malyuk, head of the Security Service, puts the tally at 41 aircraft, encompassing both Tu-95 and Tu-22 bombers. 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'Depending on the context of operations, uncrewed systems provide an asymmetric advantage over more expensive asset, and combined with sophisticated systems on board, well-trained operators and continuously evolving tactics, successes will be seen,' she said. 'The future of modern warfare will see a combination of sophisticated technologies, various tactics of operation, and excellent intelligence. These include stealth sophisticated fighter jets, missiles and drones, as well as layered defence systems to protect against them.' While Dr Hashim doesn't think drones are the future of warfare, he agrees they are 'important and are going to be critical to any arsenal'. '(Drones) are part of a growing basket of emerging disruptive technologies that are changing the character of warfare such as Artificial Intelligence.'
West Australian
a day ago
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WA Police could be Australia's first law enforcement agency to fly drones beyond visual line of sight
The West Australian exclusive WA Police could be Australia's first law enforcement agency to fly drones beyond visual line of sight
