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Man Gets Nine Years in Australia’s 2017 Printer Cocaine Plot

The case shows how joint border checks and controlled delivery tactics can disrupt organized crime.

Overview

  • A man was sentenced to nine years this month, with a non-parole period of four and a half years, marking the third conviction in the case.
  • Two other men were previously sentenced to 10 years in 2022 and 2025, with non-parole periods of six and a half years and five and a half years.
  • A fourth defendant was found not guilty at trial after being arrested during the operation.
  • The Australian Border Force intercepted five printers in Melbourne in 2017 and found 10 concealed packages that presumptive tests indicated were cocaine weighing 22.4 kilograms.
  • After removing the drugs, officers conducted a controlled delivery to a factory in Airport West, and the AFP says the plot reflects evolving smuggling methods it aims to keep disrupting with partner agencies.