Two men have been arrested at Sydney Airport after allegedly swallowing more than 200 pellets of cocaine, with a potential street value of more than $757,000.
Australian Border Force swooped on the accused drug smugglers as they touched down at the airport on an international flight on Thursday.
The men – a 28-year-old British man and 26-year-old man from the Netherlands – were targeted for questioning after their arrival at the airport.
During an interview with Australian Border Force officers, investigators became suspicious that both men were internally concealing illegal drugs, a police spokesman said.
The pair were taken to hospital for medical treatment where they remained over the course of the weekend under the police guard.
Over the two-day period, each man is alleged to have “expelled” 106 pellets of cocaine – or 212 pellets in total.
The Australian Federal Police and Australian Border Force said in a joint statement on Sunday the alleged cocaine haul had a combined total weight of 2.3kg, which could have accounted for about 11,650 street deals.
Both men have been charged with importing a marketable quantity of a border controlled drug, an offence carrying a maximum penalty of life in prison. They will appear in the NSW Bail Division Court on Monday.
Australian Federal Police Detective Superintendent Morgen Blunden said anyone who concealed drugs was putting their lives at risk.
“If any pellets rupture in a courier’s stomach or another part of their body, it would cause them to overdose,” he said.
Australian Border Force Acting Superintendent Neil Singh said officers were committed to stopping the importation of illicit drugs at the border.
“Our officers not only work off intelligence-led targeting for this practice, but also by observing passenger behaviour in and around the terminal, watching how they interact with other passengers and crew members,” he said.
“We have the technology, skills and ability to detect and disrupt the importation of illicit drugs no matter how they are concealed, rest assured our officers are on the lookout and have the knowledge and intel before you even step off the plane.”
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David Barwell is an urban affairs reporter for The Sydney Morning HeraldConnect via email.
