An American man, aged 28, was caught at Melbourne Airport on Sunday, 27 April 2025, after Australian Border Force (ABF) officers found over 15 kilograms of cocaine in his black suitcase. He had just arrived on a flight from San Francisco, USA.

Inside the suitcase, officers found 12 vacuum-sealed bags. The packages tested positive for cocaine and weighed about 15.3kg.

The man was taken to court the next day, Monday, 28 April, where he was charged by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) with serious drug crimes. These charges could lead to life in prison.

Police say the drugs were worth about $4.8 million on the street and could have been sold in around 750,000 deals.

The AFP and ABF say they are working hard to stop drug smugglers from using airports to bring dangerous drugs into the country. They warned that organized crime groups will try anything to bring drugs into Australia, but officers are always on the lookout.

In 2022-2023, there were nearly 1,000 hospital visits in Australia because of cocaine, showing how dangerous this drug can be.

*Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare