National
Perth man arrested after Mounties discovery hidden behind painting
A 38-year-old Western Australian man has been charged over an alleged foiled plot to import more than four kilograms of methamphetamine hidden behind a painting sent from Canada.
The Perth man was arrested last Thursday and appeared in court on Friday, charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported border controlled drug.
He was remanded in custody to next appear on 19 November 2021.
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If convicted, he could face a potential maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
The drugs were originally discovered by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who notified the Australian Federal Police.
Three vacuum-sealed bags holding 4.1kg of meth were allegedly found stuck in the frame of a painting.
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The drugs were removed and replaced with a substitute before the painting was sent on to Embleton in Perth’s north-east, where the package was allegedly accepted by a 38-year-old man on Thursday.
AFP officers raided the man’s home that afternoon and allegedly found the fake drugs buried in a pillow case in a garden bed.
The AFP alleged that the amount of meth could have made up 41,000 “street deals” worth a collective $4 million.
