Three men have been arrested for their alleged roles in the importation of about 360kg of methamphetamine impregnated in mosaic tiles. A shipment of mosaic tiles believed to have come from the Middle East was intercepted by the Australian Border Force in April.
About 360 boxes of tiles were found to be impregnated with methamphetamine, the Australian Federal Police and Australian Border Force said in a joint release.
The discovery led to the arrest of two Sydney men, 39 and 56, on July 3 at Holroyd and Liverpool, who face charges for importing a commercial quantity of border controlled drugs. The maximum penalty for this offence is life imprisonment.
A Melbourne man, 39, was charged with the same offence on May 12, 2025. He appeared before Melbourne Magistrates Court on May 14 and was formally refused bail. He will appear before the same court on October 29.
Forensic testing established the consignment contained about 360kg of methamphetamine with an estimated street value of $333m.
After removing the tiles containing the illicit drugs, Australian federal police (AFP) undertook a controlled delivery of the consignment to a storage facility in Chullora, a suburb in Sydney’s southwest, on April 15.
The consignment was collected by a 56-year-old man, who allegedly used an alias to coordinate the delivery. A second man, 39, also allegedly assisted with planning to store the illicit drugs at the storage facility.
“The AFP will allege the men were aware the consignment contained illicit drugs and were to be paid up to $50,000 for their activities,” says the federal police in its announcement.
The consignment was then transported to a storage facility in Clayton South, Victoria, on April 22.
Further inquiries led investigators to identify a Melbourne man, 39 as being the alleged intended recipient of the drugs.
During a search warrant of the man’s home on May 12, investigators seized a number of electronic devices which allegedly linked the man to the drug importation plot.
Australian federal police acting commander, Peter Fogarty, said the result demonstrated the commitment of the AFP to combat transnational organised crime and illicit drug trafficking.
“Methamphetamine causes immense harm to users and their families and make our communities less safe. On average, 38 people were hospitalised each day in Australia for methamphetamine-related incidents in 2022-23,” he said.
