Two men jailed in Perth after trying to import ketamine inside toys

Two Italian men have been jailed after authorities foiled an attempt to smuggle ketamine into Australia hidden inside Christmas toys.

Border officers in Perth made the discovery on Christmas Day in 2023, finding 1.3kg of high-purity ketamine inside five soft Christmas toys that were shipped from Spain.

Australian Federal Police intercepted the package and replaced the drugs with an inert substance, before releasing the package for delivery on January 4, 2024.

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It was delivered to a house in Coogee in Perth's south, with AFP officers raiding the property on the same day.

The package was found inside the house, along with a set of scales and a vacuum sealing machine.

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An Italian man was charged and pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to traffic in a commercial quantity of ketamine, and one count of dealing with money suspected to be the proceeds of crime worth $100,000 or more.

The 29-year-old appeared in Perth District Court last week, where he was sentenced to six years and eight months' imprisonment.

He will be eligible for parole after serving three years and four months.

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Another Italian man was also charged for his role in the plot, and received a prison sentence of three years.

Authorities believe the pair are part of an alleged Spanish-based crime syndicate accused of trafficking drugs into Australia.

Spanish law enforcement investigating the syndicate have charged several people in Barcelona and Ibiza.

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