French tourist arrested at Sydney Airport after border force make alarming discovery in his luggage

A French national’s Australian holiday came to an abrupt end before it even started after he allegedly tried to sneak 22kg of methamphetamine into the country.

Australian Border Force officials stopped the 20-year-old man for a routine examination at Sydney Airport shortly after he arrived on a flight from Amsterdam on July 20.

Officers allegedly found 22 vacuum-sealed bags in his luggage which contained a clear crystalline substance.

Tests returned a positive result for methamphetamine.

The seized illicit drugs had an estimated street value of more than $20 million, equivalent to 220,000 individual street deals.

Australian Federal Police arrested the man at the airport and he was charged with one count each of importing and possessing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug.

Both offences carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

The man appeared in Downing Centre Local Court last Monday, where he was formally refused bail.

He remains in custody and is scheduled to reappear in court on September 16.

‘The AFP is working closely with our partners at the border and overseas to disrupt these importations before the drugs ever hit our streets,’ AFP Detective Superintendent Morgen Blunden 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.’

ABF Superintendent Elke West added: ‘Australian Border Force officers are the first line of defence when it comes to travellers attempting to smuggle harmful contraband into Australia.

‘Working alongside our partner agencies, we are at the ready 24-7 to disrupt this criminal behaviour at the border, protecting members of the community one detection at a time.’