Man charged over alleged heroin importation in paint brushes

A Nigerian national is scheduled to face Melbourne Magistrates Court today (24 May, 2024) charged over the alleged importation of nearly 9kg of heroin concealed in paint brushes.

The AFP began an investigation in February 2024 after Australian Border Force (ABF) officers at the Melbourne Cargo Examination Facility (CEF) detected anomalies in a consignment of paint roller brushes mailed from Vietnam.

Four boxes in the consignment registered anomalies and further investigation revealed 8.8kg of heroin concealed in the brushes.

The AFP seized the boxes and removed the heroin before AFP Forensics members reconstructed the brushes and boxes and returned them to the CEF.

The consignment was later delivered to a property in St Albans, where AFP officers allegedly observed the Nigerian man accept the package.

AFP officers arrested the man, 26, after executing a warrant at the house and locating him a short distance away, after they observed him running through a nearby school oval.