An Indian national is due to face court today charged with allegedly importing 166kg of pseudoephedrine into Australia.
He faces a maximum penalty of 25 years’ imprisonment if convicted.
In early May 2026, Australian Border Force (ABF) officers in Port Botany, NSW, targeted a sea cargo consignment arriving from India and identified anomalies in three pallets declared as a food product.
Upon further inspection, officers found several pouches containing a white powder which allegedly tested positive for pseudoephedrine, a border-controlled precursor commonly used to manufacture methamphetamine.
ABF Investigators say they discovered around 166kg of pseudoephedrine, worth an estimated street value of $5,600,000.
On 11 May 2026, ABF officers undertook a managed delivery of the consignment to a storage unit in Parramatta.
Three days later, on 14th May 2026, ABF officers arrested a man allegedly attempting to collect the consignment and charged him with:
- One count of importing a border-controlled precursor, contrary to section 307.11(3) of the Criminal Code (Cth).
A second warrant was carried out at the man’s hotel the next day, seizing three mobile phones, one laptop, and business paperwork.
The man was remanded in custody to appear before Parramatta District Court today.
ABF Superintendent Shaun Baker said the detection and managed delivery highlighted the effectiveness of intelligence-led border operations.
“Pseudoephedrine is an ingredient commonly used to manufacture methamphetamine that ultimately ends up on the streets of Australian communities causing untold misery, addiction and drug-related crime,” Superintendent Baker said.
“A seizure of this size represents a significant disruption to the manufacture of illicit drugs and the criminal networks behind them.”
“This interception drives home the relentless pressure the ABF is applying to organised crime – our border remains a hostile boundary that organised crime cannot breach.”
 officers in Port Botany, NSW, targeted a sea cargo consignment arriving from India and identified anomalies in three pallets declared as a food product.){kind=link}