Overview

• On June 6, 2024, Australian Border Force officers intercepted a parcel from Peru and discovered 103.2 grams of pure cocaine concealed under the insoles of a pair of sneakers.
• Australian Federal Police substituted the drugs with a decoy powder and facilitated a controlled delivery that led to the arrests of a 35-year-old and a 36-year-old in Casuarina, Darwin.
• Both defendants pleaded guilty to drug importation offences on May 21, 2025.
• On June 10, 2025, the court handed the 35-year-old a three-year term with 15 months to serve followed by a 21-month suspended sentence, and gave his 36-year-old accomplice an 18-month term with six months served and a 12-month suspension.
• The intercepted cocaine carried a street value of about $65,900 and its smuggling attempt underscores strain from 985 national cocaine-related hospitalisations recorded in 2022-23.