MELBOURNE: More than 7.3 tonnes of major illicit drugs and chemicals used to make them have been seized at Australian borders over the past financial year, the largest amount in five years.
They accounted for almost half of the 32,800-plus drug detections in the 12 months to June 30 across airports, seaports and mail centres.
Border Protection Minister Peter Dutton said the increased number of detections was the result of $88 million of additional federal government funding last year.
‘I think there’s a greater level of co-operation than there ever has been between the Australian Border Force and the Australian Federal Police and other agencies,’ Mr Dutton told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday.
Justice Minister Michael Keenan said that while the record seizures were positive, the illegal drug market in Australia remained an enormous challenge.
‘One of the reasons for that is the lucrative nature of it and the fact in Australia we do pay more for a lot of drug types than in other parts of the world,’ he said.
‘That means criminal gangs from all over the world continue to target Australia for the import of illegal drugs’.
On Sunday, three Malaysian nationals were charged for allegedly importing more than 70kg of illicit drugs concealed in suitcases, with a potential street value of almost $47 million.
BORDER DRUG DETECTIONS FOR 2014-15
32,800-plus – the total number of drug detections at airports, seaports and mail centres
630 – the average number of drug seizures each week
7.3 tonnes – the amount of major illicit drugs and precursors seized across more than 14,800 detections. That’s about two tonnes more than in 2013-14 and the highest amount in five years
2.6 tonnes – the total weight of crystal methamphetamine (ice) seized, nearly double the previous year.
