The Creative Ways Criminal Gangs Are Getting Drugs Into Australia

Authorities said concealment methods are becoming more devious amid a high number of drug-related hospitalisations and incarcerations.An Australian Federal Police officer (L) inspects seized methamphetamine in Sydney, Australia, on Feb. 12, 2014. William West/Getty Images1/27/2026|Updated: 1/27/2026Over 25 tonnes of drugs, about the weight of a fully laden garbage truck and worth around $8.4 billion (US$5.75 billion), was stopped at Australian borders last year.The total is down from the record 38.5 tonnes seized in 2019-20 and considerably lower than last year’s figure of 33.7 tonnes.Rex Widerstrom is a New Zealand-based reporter with over 40 years of experience in media, including radio and print. He is currently a presenter for Hutt Radio.Author’s Selected Articles