A Melbourne man has been charged over his alleged role in an unsuccessful attempt to import methamphetamine infused in paraffin wax, marking the first charges laid under a new international taskforce targeting drug smuggling.
AFP Commander Kate Ferry said the case highlights the importance of international cooperation in disrupting the global drug trade.
“Australia is an attractive target for organised crime syndicates, and our partnerships with agencies across the Middle East and Asia are critical in making it harder for these networks to operate.”
Commander Ferry said, “Methamphetamine inflicts devastating psychological, financial, and social harm, with illicit drug activity costing Australia an estimated $18.7 billion in 2022–23.* The scale of this seizure underscores the persistence of criminal groups targeting our nation.”
The 31-year-old appeared before the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 14 March 2025 facing drug and firearm offences. His arrest is the first under Taskforce Tiger, a joint initiative between the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Royal Malaysian Police (RMP), established in late 2024 to disrupt the illicit drug trade between the two nations.
Operation Tiger-Milang, an AFP-led investigation under the taskforce, began in January 2025 in collaboration with Dubai Police, targeting suspicious shipping containers originating from Iran. The AFP alerted RMP officers in Kuala Lumpur, who intercepted two containers and seized 166 drums of paraffin wax—about 32 tonnes—destined for Australia. Initial testing indicated the presence of methamphetamine, with the exact quantity still under forensic analysis.
To maintain the ruse, Malaysian authorities removed the drugs and barrels before allowing the consignment to continue its journey to Port Botany, Sydney, where it arrived on 24 February 2025. AFP officers in Sydney reconstructed the barrels and returned them to the original shipping containers.
On 11 March 2025, half of the consignment—88 drums—was redirected to a warehouse in Rowville, Victoria. Two days later, AFP members conducted a controlled delivery and arrested the Endeavour Hills man after he allegedly took possession of the shipment.
Subsequent search warrants led to the seizure of a sawn-off shotgun, ammunition, and electronic devices, which are now undergoing forensic examination.
RMP Narcotics Crime Investigation Department Director, Commissioner of Police Dato’ Seri Khaw Kok Chin, reaffirmed Malaysia’s commitment to disrupting drug trafficking networks.
“Taskforce Tiger represents a new era of intelligence-led enforcement, enabling rapid, coordinated responses to transnational crime,” Commissioner Khaw said.
“The success of this operation sends a clear message—we will not allow Malaysia to be used as a transit hub for illicit drugs.”
The man has been charged with:
- Attempting to possess a commercial quantity of unlawfully imported border-controlled drugs (Criminal Code Cth, s.307.5(1))
- Cultivating a narcotic plant (Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Act 1981 (Vic), s.72b)
- Possessing a firearm (Firearms Act 1996 (Vic), s.5)
- Possessing cartridge ammunition (Firearms Act 1996 (Vic), s.124)
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Taskforce Tiger was formalised at the 92nd INTERPOL General Assembly in Glasgow on 6 November 2024, during a bilateral meeting between AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw APM and RMP Inspector General of Police, Tan Sri Razarudin bin Husain.
*Source: Estimating the costs of serious and organised crime in Australia 2022–23 report.
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