Hide and Seek: Drug Busts at Australia’s Borders
Mosaic tiles, crane parts, buses, expensive fabric and 'vegetable spring rolls'. These are just some of the elaborate concealment methods criminals have used to try to smuggle drugs into Australia.In the 2025 calendar year, Australian Border Force (ABF) intercepted varied air, mail and sea cargo consignments of illicit substances and precursors destined for Australian shores and, with the AFP, seized:• 9.2 tonnes of methamphetamine, which had an estimated street value of $5.5 billion…
Australian Authorities Seize Cocaine from Shipping Container
The Australian Border Force (ABF) and Australian Federal Police (AFP) have seized almost 65kg of cocaine potentially worth more than A$21 million ($14 million) from a shipping container in Brisbane.The consignment came from Panama and was declared as 20 packages containing 2380 wooden slats.Officers x-rayed the shipping container and noticed anomalies within its flooring that turned out to be 108 bricks of a white substance wrapped in black plastic.ABF detector dogs attended and provided a positive indication of narcotics within the consignment.
Maritime Coastal Border Security and the Role of USCG R&D
The United States' maritime coastal security poses a significant challenge due to the vastness of its coastline and the complexity of its maritime borders. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Geodetic Survey there are approximately 95,000 miles of coastline. According to the Department of Homeland Security 2007 Transportation Systems publication there are “361 ports, and 3.3 million square miles of Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) to secure”.
