Man to face court over Sydney drug import

This is a joint Media Release between the AFP and Customs

A 49-year-old man will face Sydney Central Local Court today charged with importing heroin into Australia, after allegedly concealing it internally.

Customs officers at Sydney Airport stopped the man for a baggage examination when he arrived on a flight from Hong Kong yesterday morning.

It will be alleged in court that the man passed a package in the Customs facility that is believed to contain approximately 65 grams of heroin.

Customs referred the man to the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and he was taken to hospital for a CT scan and later charged.

Forensics testing will be carried out on the content of the package to confirm the commodity and its exact weight and purity.

The man has been charged with importation of a marketable quantity of a border-controlled drug under the Commonwealth Criminal Code Act 1995.

Two other Chinese nationals, both also aged 49, who were detained after arriving on the same flight, remain in hospital in AFP custody.

The maximum penalty for this offence is 25 years imprisonment and/or a $550,000 fine.