Man jailed for 7 years and 6 months for attempting to smuggle almost 40kg of cocaine into Australia through Fiji

A 34-year-old Sydney man who attempted to smuggle almost 40 kilograms of cocaine into Australia has been sentenced to 7 years and 6 months imprisonment following a Pacific Transnational and Serious Organised Crime Taskforce investigation.

Suspicions were raised after the offender travelled on board a flight from Sydney to Nadi without any checked luggage on 4th October 2019.

Upon the man's return to Australia on 8th October 2019, Australian Border Force officers inspected the man's luggage and discovered 34 blocks of cocaine inside the bags totalling 39.6 kilograms.

Australian Federal Police charged the man with importing a commercial quantity of cocaine.

Under Pacific Taskforce arrangements a joint investigation between the Fiji Police Force, Australian Federal Police, Australian Border Force, New South Wales Police and New Zealand Police was launched.

Pacific Taskforce detectives identified the offender was linked to a larger transnational organised crime syndicate resulting in the arrest of an additional four men in Fiji while a 5th man was also arrested in Australia.

Fiji's Acting Commissioner of Police Rusiate Tudravu says Fiji will assist all efforts made by the Pacific Taskforce teams in disrupting criminal organisations as the illicit drug trade can seriously threaten the civility of life.

ACP Tudravu says they are sending a strong message that through their enforcement networks they are not going to allow criminal organizations to profit off the Pacific people and leave a trail of human and physical destruction brought about by the illicit drug trade.

AFP Detective Superintendent Glen Fisher says targeting domestic and overseas-based criminals who for too long thought they were untouchable.

Pacific Transnational and Serious Organised Crime Taskforce was formed in February 2019 and was established to investigate organised crime groups exploiting the Pacific Island nations as hubs and transit points for illicit drug trafficking, money laundering and other transnational crimes.