Editor's note: images and vision of the arrest can be downloaded here.
An Indian national is scheduled to appear in Parramatta District Court today charged with allegedly importing 166kg of pseudoephedrine into the country.
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 identified several pouches containing a white powder which allegedly tested positive for pseudoephedrine, a border-controlled precursor commonly used to manufacture methamphetamine.
ABF Investigators deconstructed the consignment and located approximately 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:
A second warrant was carried out at the man's hotel the next day, 15 May 2026, seizing three mobile phones, one laptop, and business paperwork.
The man was remanded in custody to appear before Parramatta District Court today, 22 May 2026.
He faces a maximum penalty of 25 years' imprisonment.
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."
Media contact: media@abf.gov.au
