The most bizarre ways drugs have been allegedly smuggled into Australia
Australian Border Force officers have had a big year, busting hundreds of alleged drug smugglers from importing illicit substances into the country.
They've let us in on some of the most bizarre and "creative" ways smugglers have tried to import drugs into Australia.
Click through to see the whacky ways alleged drug smugglers have tried (but failed) to sneak past our nation's border security.
Creepy dolls and random items
On November 19, ABF officers came across a package described as "children's Christmas Gifts" and "Christmas Ornaments."
The box consisted of a single wheel, presumable for a tricycle, clothes, a baby doll, a T-Rex toy, a Star Wars mug and two china plates stored in blue boxes.
However, the items displayed abnormalities in an X-ray and prompted further investigations.
ABF officers took a closer look at these plates, and located 300g of a white substance inside the boxes and underneath the china.
Testing of the substance allegedly returned a positive result for cocaine.
The investigation was handed over to the Australian Federal Police.
Vinyl player hiding more than just tunes
On November 14, Border Force officers came across a package containing a vinyl player and a record that was shipped from the US.
While at first the package seemed to match the description, an X-ray revealed something unusual in the record player.
Officers opened up the package and found a vacuum-sealed bag containing two kilograms of white powder.
Testing returned an allegedly positive result for cocaine.
"While these two examples may not be large quantities, they are significant as these recent examples demonstrate the ABF's ability to identify unusual concealments as criminals attempt to be more creative in their attempts to smuggle drugs into the country, purely in the interests of profit," ABF acting superintendent Shaun Baker said.
Merry (Ketamine) Christmas
A man was sentenced to three years in jail in October over this box of Christmas decorations.
This package had arrived in Western Australia from Spain late last year, on Christmas Day, when ABF officers noticed something strange.
The decorations were stuffed with 1.5kg of high-purity ketamine.
A 27-year-old Italian national was arrested in January this year over the smuggling plot.
He was sentenced in October to three years jail in Western Australia.
'Disturbing' new ways of allegedly sneaking in drugs
ABF says they've also noticed a "disturbing" trend among drug syndicates smuggling their substances into Australia in packs of baby wipes.
"Australian Border Force officers have uncovered a disturbing new trend among organised crime groups desperate to smuggle drugs into the country," the organisation said.
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