ACT police have arrested a 40-year-old man in Mawson and charged him over an estimated $150,000 worth of illegal drugs.
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Detectives from the Drug and Organised Crime team arrested the Chinese national as he took possession of the white powdered substance at the Mawson shops. The drug is suspected to be methylamphetamine.
Detective Sergeant Shane Scott said the drugs had to be tested before an exact street price was known.
"Three hundred and sixty grams is a fair amount and would probably be in the range of $150,000 worth of drug," he said.
He said it was not known if the man was an ACT resident or if other people would be charged in relation to the seizure.
“This arrest is an excellent example of ACT Policing’s close working relationship with the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service, and how our processes are effective in achieving positive outcomes: in this case the detection of illegal drugs as they cross our borders and the arrest of an alleged offender,” Detective Sergeant Scott said.
The man was arrested and taken to the ACT Watch House where he has been charged with Commonwealth drug-related offences.
He is expected to face the ACT Magistrates Court on Friday.
The arrest coincides with an ongoing campaign by ACT Policing and the Australian Customs and Border Protection to target the importation and sale of synthetic drugs.
Detective Sergeant Scott said local businesses had been warned that they might be selling illegal substances that mimicked the effects of drugs like cocaine or ecstasy.
If found guilty, individuals could face up to two years imprisonment while businesses could be fined up to $50,000.
Detective Sergeant Scott said ignorance was no defence for people selling synthetic drugs.
“They don’t often know what they’re selling,” he said.
“If you don’t know, don’t risk [it].”
ACT Policing seized a number of synthetic cannabis products valued at $20,000 earlier this year, and Detective Sergeant Scott said drugs known as “bath salts, the zombie drug” had been found hidden within a mug sent into the ACT.
Australian Customs and Border Protection director of targeted operations Neil Sugget said authorities were finding more illegal goods coming into the ACT.
“In the last 12 months, there has been 325 detections of various types and amounts of drugs ranging from cocaine through to precursors and synthetics,” he said.
