Latest news with #ABF
1News
17 minutes ago
- 1News
Black fluid oozing from suitcase leads to bust at Adelaide Airport
Black fluid oozing from the handle of a suitcase alerted Australian Border Force officers to an alleged attempt to import heroin into Adelaide. Using intelligence-led screening and officer intuition, Australian Border Force (ABF) officers conducted a full examination and searched the luggage of a man who had arrived at Adelaide Airport on July 29 from overseas. The officers allegedly identified a black fluid oozing from the handle of the man's suitcase. A presumptive test of the substance returned a positive result for heroin, with about 500g removed from the suitcase. SA man charged with allegedly smuggling 500g heroin into Adelaide in a suitcase (Source: Australian Federal Police) ADVERTISEMENT The 47-year-old Australian-Afghan dual citizen was charged with one count of importing a marketable quantity of a border controlled substance in the Adelaide Magistrates Court. The maximum penalty for this offence was 25 years' imprisonment. ABF Superintendent Jody Griswood said this detection highlighted the vigilance and experience of ABF officers on the front line, who were crucial in stopping harmful substances from reaching Australian streets. "ABF officers at the border are highly trained, experienced and alert. They know exactly what to look for when selecting travellers and their baggage for further examination," Griswood said. SA man charged with allegedly smuggling 500g heroin into Adelaide in a suitcase (Source: Australian Federal Police) "This isn't an isolated case and it's not based on luck." AFP Detective Acting Superintendent Simon Lalic said agencies worked together to disrupt anyone who attempted to import harmful, illicit substances into Australia. "Criminals are motivated by greed. They have no regard for the significant harmful impacts these illicit drugs have on our community." The man was expected to reappear in court in September.
7NEWS
a day ago
- 7NEWS
Traveller faces possible 25 years in jail after fluid spotted oozing from suitcase handles at Adelaide Airport
A dual citizen is facing court after a fluid was spotted oozing from his suitcase after flying back home to Australia. The Australian-Afghan man, 47, was stopped after getting off an international flight at Adelaide Airport on Tuesday. 'A black fluid (was) oozing from the handle of the man's suitcase,' Australian Federal Police (AFP) said on Wednesday. A test of the substance came back positive for heroin and 500g of the illicit drug was allegedly removed from the bag, police said. The South Australian man was charged with one count of importing a marketable quantity of a border-controlled substance. He now faces a maximum of 25 years in jail if found guilty. The 47-year-old appeared in Adelaide Magistrates Court on Wednesday and is set to reappear in court on September 23. AFP said the man was 'targeted' for a full bag search using 'officer intuition' but the discovery was 'not based on luck'. 'This isn't an isolated case, these successes happen across our airports every week,' ABF Superintendent Jody Griswood said. 'ABF officers at the border are highly trained, experienced and alert. They know exactly what to look for when selecting travellers and their baggage for further examination.' AFP Detective Acting Superintendent Simon Lalic said criminals trafficking drugs are 'motivated by greed' and must be stopped at all levels. 'They have no regard for the significant harmful impacts these illicit drugs have on our community.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
ArcBest's efficiency initiatives helping offset soft demand
ArcBest leaned on belt tightening and efficiency initiatives to partially offset weak demand during the second quarter. The company said it is 'adding good new profitable business to the network' even as the less-than-truckload industry contends with protracted weakness in the manufacturing and housing segments. Revenue at ArcBest's (NASDAQ: ARCB) asset-based unit, which includes less-than-truckload subsidiary ABF Freight, came in flat year over year at $713 million. Tonnage per day was up 4.3% y/y but revenue per hundredweight, or yield, was off 3.1%. The carrier had an easy tonnage comparison to the year-ago quarter (negative-20.3%) but faced a stiff yield comp (plus-23%). ABF is relying on a dynamic pricing model to drive equipment utilization higher. The formula provides discounts to fill space on equipment that is required to move through the network even if it isn't full. Asset-based tonnage was up y/y by 3.6% in April, 6.3% in May and 2.8% in June. However, preliminary results for July showed tonnage was flat y/y even against a notably negative comp from a year ago (negative-12.5% in July 2024). On a two-year-stacked comparison, July was ArcBest's best tonnage result since February 2024. The carrier is up against an easier tonnage comp (negative-11.3%) in the third quarter. The yield comp (plus-7.4%) steps down as well. ABF is focused on growing share among its core accounts and said it is having success at small-to-medium size shipper accounts where rate competition is typically less severe. However, other carriers have been targeting this shipper segment in recent quarters, which could ultimately limit rate gains. Contractual rate increases averaged 4.0% in the quarter, a 9.1% increase on two-year-stacked comparison. ABF recently announced a 5.9% general rate increase, which will take effect on Monday. It took a similar increase last September. The cadence of GRIs across the industry has shortened from annual implementations to approximately every 10 to 11 months. The asset-based unit reported a 92.8% adjusted operating ratio (inverse of operating margin), which was 300 basis points worse y/y. The OR improved 310 bps sequentially, which was in line with the carrier's historical sequential improvement rate of 300 to 400 bps. Management said it expects to see roughly 70 bps of sequential OR improvement from the second to the third quarter, which is in line with historical trends. That implies a 92.1% OR for the third quarter, which would be 110 bps worse y/y. Terminal efficiency initiatives have generated a total of $14 million in cost savings at 18 service centers so far this year. The company sees ample cost levers from the program moving forward. ArcBest's asset-light segment, which includes truck brokerage, reported an adjusted operating profit of $1.1 million after seven consecutive quarterly losses. The unit is expected to see breakeven results to $1 million in adjusted operating income in the third quarter. Asset-light revenue was down 14% y/y to $342 million in the quarter, but just 7% lower y/y in July. ArcBest reported second-quarter adjusted earnings per share of $1.36 on Wednesday ahead of the market open. The result was 10 cents light of the consensus estimate and 62 cents lower y/y. The company continues to target the low end of a 2025 net capex guidance range of $225 million to $275 million, which it describes as mostly maintenance spending. Approximately $130 million to $140 million is designated for rolling stock, $60 million to $80 million is slated for real estate projects, and the remainder will be used to make IT and dock equipment upgrades. ArcBest ended the quarter with approximately $400 million in available liquidity, a $50 million increase from the first quarter. The company also announced its first investor day in a decade. The event will take place on Sept. 29. Shares of ARCB were down 13.4% at 2:50 p.m. EDT on Wednesday compared to the S&P 500, which was up 0.1%. It was a down day for the LTLs as peer Old Dominion Freight Line (NASDAQ: ODFL) posted slightly worse-than-expected results earlier in the day. More FreightWaves articles by Todd Maiden: Old Dominion not changing course as downturn lingers Landstar reports trucking revenue growth for first time in nearly 3 years Losses mount at Pamt, TL unit posts 112.5% OR The post ArcBest's efficiency initiatives helping offset soft demand appeared first on FreightWaves.
ABC News
2 days ago
- ABC News
Watchdog raises concern over Darwin hotel housing detained illegal fishers
Australia's detention centre watchdog has raised concerns about conditions at an ageing hotel in the Darwin CBD which is being used to detain illegal foreign fishers. The top two levels of the 1970s-era Frontier Hotel have been converted into a makeshift detention centre following a surge in the number of Indonesian fishers caught illegally in Australian waters. Commonwealth Ombudsman Iain Anderson visited the hotel last year as part of his role overseeing Australia's places of detention, after which he reported significant issues with the facility, which have now come to light. "The facility lacks appropriate access to fresh air and exercise," his post-visit summary read. "Accommodation areas were cramped, and while facilities appeared to be clean, some rooms had water damage to walls and carpeting. "Recreational facilities were limited and not fit for purpose. "The outdoor area consists of a temporary camping gazebo that has been erected in an enclosed service area of the hotel between a shipping container and hotel service equipment." The report also detailed how the Frontier had been transformed to accommodate the detainees, including how one hotel room was converted into a medical clinic. Mr Anderson called on the Australian government to consider funding a "purpose-built facility in the Northern Territory that appropriately meets the needs of the current cohorts". "There needs to be somewhere that's actually fit for purpose," he told the ABC. The report into the Frontier Hotel indicates the facility has capacity to detain 20 people and, as well as illegal fishers, the hotel from time to time accommodates "people refused immigration clearance at an airport, and people whose visas are cancelled on character grounds". There has not been a purpose-built immigration centre in the NT since the Commonwealth closed Darwin's Wickham Point Detention Centre in 2016. Since his recommendations were made late last year, Mr Anderson said the Australian Border Force (ABF) and the Home Affairs Department had committed to making changes within the facility. Among those, Mr Anderson said a proper outdoor recreational area was being constructed. "Currently, because of those construction works, it actually means that there's less access to fresh air than there was before," he said. "But I am confident that they're actually listening to my recommendations and they're seeking to improve the conditions at the Frontier Hotel. "We're continuing to monitor what's happening and how long that's going to take." An ABF spokesperson said: "The facilities currently in use are consistent with the 2024 Ombudsman's report and recommendations." "In utilising the facility, implementation of recommendations were considered within the available infrastructure," the spokesperson said. A spokesperson for Home Affairs said the department provided oversight of the company that manages the Frontier facility, an Australian-registered management and training corporation named Secure Journeys. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke did not respond to a question about whether the federal government was considering Mr Anderson's recommendation to build a new immigration detention facility in the NT. NT Deputy Chief Minister Gerard Maley said the fishers' detention was a "Commonwealth matter" and he did not "know the full details". "What is appropriate is to make sure these illegal fishers suffer a consequence, and they need to make sure that they get detained," he said. Recently, seven fishers from a small village outside of Sulawesi were held in the detention centre, before being found guilty of fishing offences in the Darwin Local Court and deported back to Indonesia.
Sky News AU
4 days ago
- Sky News AU
French man arrested at Sydney Airport after more than $20 million worth of meth was allegedly discovered in his suitcase
A French national has been arrested and charged with importing a commercial quantity of methamphetamine after allegedly being caught trying to import 22kg worth of the substance into the country. The man, aged 20, was stopped by Australian Border Force (ABF) officers at Sydney Airport for a routine examination after arriving on a flight from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on July 20. Officers allegedly discovered 22 vacuum-sealed bags hidden in his luggage that contained a clear crystalline substance, and presumptive testing revealed a positive result for methamphetamine, and Australian Federal Police statement (AFP) said. The estimated weight of the crystalline substance was 22kg, and AFP have since seized the alleged drugs. The amount of methamphetamine allegedly seized had an estimated street value of over $20 million, representing 220,000 potential individual street deals. AFP officers arrested the French national, who has since been charged with one count of importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, namely methamphetamine, and a count of possessing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, namely methamphetamine. He now faces a lengthy sentence behind bars, with both offences carrying a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. The French national was formerly refused bail after appearing before Downing Centre Local Court on July 21 and he is set to reappear in at the court on September 16. AFP Detective Superintendent Morgen Blunden said the AFP and the border force continued to see people trying to smuggle illegal drugs into their country via luggage. The AFP is "working closely with our partners at the border and overseas" to disrupt the importation of such drugs into Australia, he said. 'This is not a victimless crime. The drugs these individuals carry fuel violence, addiction and organised crime in our communities. Every kilogram seized is a blow to the networks that profit from harm and a reminder that Australia is not an easy target," Detective Superintendent Blunden said.
