Media Release
Syndicate member jailed over failed plot to import cocaine inside printers
This is a joint media release between the AFP and ABF
A Victorian man, 47, has been sentenced to nine years’ jail over his role in a plot to import 22.4kg of cocaine into Australia.
Australian Border Force (ABF) officers intercepted a consignment of five printers in Melbourne on 30 April, 2017, locating 10 packages of compressed white powder concealed within their paper trays.
Presumptive testing indicated the substance was cocaine, with the total seizure weighing 22.4kg. The drugs were removed and substituted with another material. The consignment was transported via a controlled delivery to a factory in Airport West, Victoria.
On 10 May, 2017, police arrested four Victorian men – then aged 31, 33, 36 and 38 – after the consignment was accessed. All four were subsequently charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug.
In May, 2024, the now 47-year-old man pleaded guilty in the Victorian County Court before being sentenced in the same court on 8 May, 2026, to nine years’ imprisonment with a non-parole period of four and a half years.
The second man, now aged 45, was sentenced on 24 August, 2022, to 10 years' imprisonment with a non-parole period of six years and six months.
The third man, now aged 42, was sentenced on 21 October, 2025, to 10 years' imprisonment with a non-parole period of five years and six months.
The fourth man was found not guilty at trial.
AFP Acting Commander Simone Butcher said organised crime groups continued to use sophisticated consignment methods in attempts to smuggle illicit drugs into Australia, regardless of their devastating impact.
“Criminal syndicates are motivated by profit and have absolutely no regard for the harm illicit drugs cause in communities,” Acting Commander Butcher said.
“The AFP, as well as our domestic and international partners, are steadfast in our mission to protect the community by disrupting and dismantling organised crime groups and their efforts to profit off the misery caused in our community.”
ABF Commander Clinton Sims said that targeting and intercepting organised crime groups will continue to be a top priority for the ABF.
“The ABF has its eyes firmly set on criminals importing illicit substances into the country,” Commander Sims said.
“Alongside our law enforcement partners, we will target criminal entities seeking to prey on our communities and ensure they have their day in court.”
