Australia Seizes $8.5B in Drugs: Creative Smuggling Foiled

In 2025, Australian authorities confiscated illicit drugs valued at nearly $8.5 billion, significantly disrupting international organised crime networks. These seizures included approximately 9.2 tonnes of methamphetamine, estimated at $5.52 billion, and 7.8 tonnes of cocaine, valued at $2.53 billion. Other significant confiscations involved 6.3 tonnes of 1,4-butanediol, 1.3 tonnes of ketamine, 260kg of MDMA, and 220kg of heroin.

Law enforcement encountered diverse and elaborate smuggling methods. In May, 360kg of methamphetamine was discovered concealed within house tiles in a Sydney warehouse. Another incident saw a woman arrested in January for attempting to smuggle meth hidden in vacuum-sealed clothes. Additionally, 45kg of ketamine was found inside car driveshafts imported from Germany, leading to the arrest of two Sydney men in August.

The largest single methamphetamine bust involved 900kg discovered at Port Botany, disguised within a shipment declared as 'vegetable spring rolls and more'. ABF Commander David Coyles noted that professional crime syndicates continually seek novel ways to circumvent trade and travel systems to access Australia's lucrative illicit drug market.

Several offenders faced legal consequences, with two men sentenced to six years for attempting to possess 139kg of cocaine smuggled in luxury buses in early 2024. A Victorian man received an 11-year sentence for attempting to smuggle 100kg of methamphetamine inside leather shoes in September 2024.