Icepipe importer slugged with big fine

A Brisbane man has been fined $17,500 for importing more than 20,000 pipes used for smoking the drug ice.

It follows a bust at the Brisbane air cargo terminal last November when Customs officers found 20,800 pipes in 104 packages.

Australian Border Force Queensland regional commander Rachel Houghton said this type of glass pipe was a prohibited import, and this prosecution and the hefty fine were a warning to those involved in the illicit and damaging ice trade.