A 77-year old German man has been charged after a shock find at Perth Airport
Australian Border Force (ABF) officers stopped the German national when he arrived at Perth carrying a small suitcase and backpack containing two mini briefcases.
The officers checked his bags and allegedly found inserts inside the briefcases each filled with 2kg of cocaine on August 8.
Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers arrested the man and seized 4kg of the illicit substance they allegedly found inside his bags.
He was charged with importing a commercial quantity of cocaine and is due to appear in the Perth Magistrates Court on Thursday.
AFP superintendent Peter Hatch estimated the seizure had a street value of $1.3m.
'Despite all the warnings, ABF and AFP are continuing to identify people who attempt to traffic illicit drugs through our airports,' he said.
'AFP's work with ABF and other law enforcement agencies is critical to protecting Australian communities and stopping drug traffickers from profiting at their expense.'
ABF superintendent John Eldridge said criminal syndicates tried all potential avenues to try and sneak contraband into Australia.
'Criminal syndicates prey on vulnerabilities to help carry out their illicit business models; it is our job as Australia's border agency to identify and disrupt this criminal activity,' he said.
'Through intelligence-led targeting and information sharing, ABF and AFP officers work closely to stop any amount of prohibited drug which may be smuggled through our airport network.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
4 minutes ago
- ABC News
Launceston man refused bail after low-speed chase in stolen truck driven on rims
A 27-year-old who pleaded guilty to driving a stolen truck on its rims through Launceston has been refused bail. Patrick Brown pleaded guilty to a number of charges in the Launceston Magistrate's Court on Thursday, including two counts of evading police and dangerous driving. The court heard Brown stole a white tipper truck on Tuesday, which he drove on the following night through some of the region's busiest streets, including the East Tamar Highway — at times veering onto the wrong side of the road and ignoring traffic lights. The court heard he continued for several hours after police spiked the tyres, with Brown then driving the truck on its rims. Numerous police units, including a helicopter, were involved in the truck's pursuit. Police say Brown, from the Launceston suburb of Newnham, was later arrested in Ravenswood "without further incident". Dilston resident Simon Ancher said he was alerted to something happening when he heard "a chopper hovering over". "I went out to get a better view … and looked down John Lees Drive to see a convoy," he said. "You had the truck at the front, police cars flanking and the chopper overhead. "The noise was very loud. It was just metal on road [from the wheel rims] — pretty insane really." Dilston is 17 kilometres north-west of Ravenswood, where the driver was arrested. Mr Ancher described the scene as a "slow-moving police chase with this helicopter and truck in no condition to evade police." He said it was "a bit Fred Flintstone, a bit Blues Brothers". Appearing without legal representation on Thursday, Brown's bail application was denied by Magistrate Simon Brown. Brown also pleaded guilty to charges dating back more than 12 months, including multiple stealing offences and breaching bail. The dangerous driving charges were committed to the Supreme Court for sentencing on September 5.
ABC News
34 minutes ago
- ABC News
National CCTV trial in childcare centres expected as ministers meet
A national trial of CCTV cameras in hundreds of childcare centres is expected to get the green light at a meeting with federal, state and territory education ministers in Sydney today. Under the proposal being discussed, up to 300 services would be asked to take part in the trial. A number of states recently launched reviews into safety at childcare centres following multiple allegations of child abuse by a worker in Victoria, and a number of other significant incidents in other states. The New South Wales report recommended the installation of cameras in all new childcare centres, while Victoria's review recommended a trial to evaluate the use of cameras as a "regulative and investigative tool". NSW has committed to its own trial, while Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said she would prefer a national trial. She acknowledged privacy concerns but said CCTV must be considered as one way to better protect children. "I will acknowledge there are different views on this point … which is why moving to a trial in the first instance is most appropriate," Ms Allan said yesterday. While some states are already on board, others are yet to be convinced. Some have raised questions about where the footage would be stored and who would have access to it. Centres can already install CCTV cameras and recently Australia's biggest private childcare operator G8 Education announced it would roll out cameras to all of its centres. Early Childhood Australia CEO Samantha Page said she would support a trial but didn't want CCTV to create complacency or support poor practice. "Because there's a CCTV camera in a room, that does not mean it's okay to leave an educator alone with a child or group of children," she said. National Children's Commissioner Anne Hollonds said CCTV may have a role to play but raised concerns about an over-reliance on technology. "These other elements [to protect children] include the recruitment of the right people … the mandatory safety childcare training. The human elements are far more important than CCTV," she said. The trial is just one of a number of measures to be discussed at today's meeting, along with mandatory child safety training for all childcare staff and tougher penalties to try and deter breaches and non-compliance. The federal government will provide $189 million over the next four years to strengthen safety in the childcare sector. It includes funding to establish a new national register for childcare workers. Federal Education Minister Jason Clare flagged the idea last year, and during multiple media interviews after Joshua Dale Brown was arrested in Victoria. "There's a register for teachers; there's not a register for educators in centres. That's one of the other potential tools here to help keep children safe," he said last month. Details about how it would operate, what information would be included and when it could commence will be discussed at today's meeting. Early Childhood Education Minister Jess Walsh has previously suggested it would track workers from centre to centre and across state borders. "That register needs to be integrated with working with children checks … and it needs to be integrated with other information that we have about substantiated complaints and conduct against individuals," she said last month. Queensland Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek said a national register was long overdue. "A national register is critical to ensure the safety of children, support all early childhood services to ensure they do the right checks, and have the right information, every time they engage an educator, no matter where they are in the country," he said. NSW acting Minister for Education and Early Learning Courtney Houssos insisted the register must be a priority at today's meeting. "[It] will be most effective if it is implemented nationally," she said. The move comes after attorneys-general agreed to strengthen working with children checks so that if a worker is banned in one state, they are banned in all. Education Minister Jason Clare is set to talk to his state and territory counterparts about the mandatory mobile phone ban, which he said is set to be in place from September. The Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority has encouraged providers to adopt all practices in the National Model Code, which states staff should not have their phones on them while providing care to children, unless for emergencies or essential family needs. It's not clear at this stage how the ban will be enforced across different jurisdictions. Only two states have outlined their plans to issue hefty fines. South Australia has warned centres could be fined up to $50,000 or face suspension if they do not comply, with the SA education minister to explain the state's policy to his counterparts today. Victorian centres face a fine of up to $57,400 for long day care, kindergarten and outside school hours care services. Western Australia said it will introduce a ban but has not given a date, while NSW Premier Chris Minns indicated the finer details in his state had not been finalised. "We are looking at it. I accept the premise that there has to be zero tolerance when it comes to the safety and care of young people," he said. The federal government recently passed legislation that gives the Education Department the power to cut funding if a centre fails to meet national safety standards. The checks are carried out by state regulators, but a Four Corners investigation found many centres have not been checked for a number of years. Some states will push for more federal funding to help cover the cost of the checks. South Australian Minister for Education, Training and Skills Blair Boyer said his state was investing more in child safety. "This will deliver increased compliance checks and ensure ratings of ECEC services are updated every three years," he said. Western Australia's Early Childhood Minister Sabine Winton said the state government would spend an additional $1 million to boost the regulator's capacity but the federal government should also pitch in. "I will also be placing strong focus on advocating for building the capacity of the Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) and state-based regulators," she said. Samantha Page agreed the federal government should play a greater financial role in ensuring state and territory regulators are fully resourced. "They [the regulators] need to able to undertake rating and assessment more frequently," she said. "I think the Commonwealth government tends to rely on the state and territory governments to find those resources and to operate those regulatory authorities without understanding the growth." 1,600 additional unannounced spot checks will be carried out by Commonwealth officers, but their main focus is on potential fraud.
News.com.au
7 hours ago
- News.com.au
Childcare worker phone ban, national register to dominate Friday's education ministers meeting
State and federal education ministers will discuss progress on a nationwide mobile phone ban for early childcare workers, among a range of other measures aimed at bolstering safety at centres. States, including South Australia, Victoria and most recently Western Australia, have already gone further with a total ban on personal mobile phones in centres, however all states and territories agreed to the voluntary Model Code set by the Commonwealth. The federal code restricts educators and workers from taking photo and videos on their personal devices. However, centre-issued devices are exempt from the rule. Other measures set to dominate the meeting, which will be held in Sydney on Friday, include funding a National Educator Register to ensure workers who fail to meet standards can't bypass state jurisdictions, tougher penalties to deter noncompliance and mandatory child safety training for all staff. Federal Education Minister Jason Clare will also propose a funding package of up to $189m over four years to implement the changes. The special meeting of education ministers follows a string of child abuse and sexual assault allegations, including Melbourne former childcare worker Joshua Brown who faces more than 70 charges. Australian Federal Police officers allege NSW worker David William James produced child abuse material of 10 victims, the oldest being six years old. As a result, the Commonwealth passed laws which would cut off funding to centres which repeatedly breached standards, plus allow compliance officers to conduct checks without prior warning. Mr Clare said Friday's meeting would discuss the 'next step' in ensuring safety standards in centres. 'No parent should ever have to wonder if their child is safe when they drop them off at child care,' he said. 'We need a national register to ensure we know who is caring for our children and their work history.' He also flagged mandatory child safety training as another priority. 'The overwhelming majority of childcare workers are awesome at what they do caring for and educating our children. They are just as angry as everyone else,' he said. 'They're our best asset here and we need to back them with the skills to spot when something isn't right. 'We also need to ban personal phones and ramp up inspections to make sure centres are up to scratch.' Early Childhood Education Minister Jess Walsh conceded 'there was more to do'. 'Our action supports the overwhelming majority of educators and providers who do the right thing and shuts the door on people and providers who do harm,' she said. 'Our investment of up to $184m is the biggest child safety package the early learning sector has ever seen.' The Coalition's education and early learning spokesman Jonno Duniam said Friday's meeting must produce 'immediate, consistent reforms'. He said there needed to be a consistent phone ban across all states, and backed South Australia's $50,000 penalties for noncompliance on Model Code. 'Every opportunity to shift the dial should be on the table. This includes considering targets in the extended preschool reform agreement,' he said. 'A national register of childcare workers should have been implemented already, and there must be consistency in the implementation of personal phone bans. 'South Australia is imposing $50,000 penalties for noncompliance to the new code. We want to see all states and territories follow suit.'
