Three arrested for smuggling 120kg of cocaine hidden in furniture

Investigators from Australian Border Force detected anomalies in a Greek consignment on October 9, prompting X-ray imaging that uncovered 120 individual cocaine packages hidden within two cabinets listed as household furniture. Presumptive testing confirmed the substance, and the Victorian Joint Organised Crime Taskforce seized the cargo, later conducting a controlled delivery to an Essendon storage facility north-west of Melbourne.

Authorities allege that a 49-year-old Pascoe Vale woman coordinated the receipt and movement of the shipment, a 31-year-old Rockbank man drove it to Keilor where it was opened, and a 40-year-old Cairnlea man transferred part of it to another vehicle bound for Glenroy. All three have been charged with importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug and attempting to possess an unlawfully imported commercial quantity, offences punishable by life imprisonment.

In Melbourne Magistrates Court, the two men were refused bail, while the woman was granted conditional bail; they are slated to appear again in February. Police say the operation prevented a large supply of cocaine from reaching Victoria’s streets and underscores ongoing efforts to disrupt organised drug importation.