Chinese teenage 'drug catcher' jailed over failed 5.4kg meth import into Perth
A 17-year-old Chinese national has been sentenced to more than six years in a Perth prison over a failed plot to import more than 5.4 kilograms of methamphetamine into Australia.
The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was sentenced on December 11 to six years and seven months' imprisonment, with a non-parole period of three years and one month.
It comes almost six months after the teen was arrested at his East Perth apartment on June 25.
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The 17-year-old Chinese boy was arrested at his East Perth apartment on June 25, where Australian Federal Police officers found 850 grams of methamphetamine in his fridge. Australian Federal Police
The methamphetamine was found by the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department inside four stone statue pedestals. Australian Federal Police
A week earlier, four stone statue pedestals destined for his address had been intercepted by the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department (HKCE).
Concealed inside the pedestals were four packages of methamphetamine, amounting to 5.42 kilograms in total.
When Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers searched the teenager's apartment, they found 850 grams of methamphetamine in the fridge, as well as evidence linking him to the attempted methamphetamine import and items used for drug distribution, including scales and clip seal bags.
The teenager had arrived in Australia last March and the AFP believe he intended to distribute the drugs in Perth.
The investigation into the imports had been instigated when Australian Border Force officers in Sydney intercepted six kilograms of cocaine imported from Hong Kong and alerted the HKCE.
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The boy will be eligible for release in 2027 as his parole period has been back-dated from the time of his arrest. Australian Federal Police
The teenager had travelled to Australia last March, and the AFP believe he intended to distribute the methamphetamine in Perth.
"Across Australia, 27 people on average were admitted to hospital every day in 2021-22 for methamphetamine-related issues," AFP Detective Acting Inspector Tom Blakeley said.
"The seizure of 5.4kg of methamphetamine in Hong Kong and another 850 grams here prevented a potential 62,500 street deals reaching the WA community."
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