Three Charged Over Alleged 120kg Cocaine Import Concealed in Furniture
Three people have been arrested and charged in Melbourne following an investigation into an alleged plot to import 120 kilograms of cocaine hidden inside furniture sent from Greece, according to a joint statement by law enforcement agencies on 23 October 2026.
The operation began on 9 October 2026 after Australian Border Force (ABF) officers detected anomalies during an examination of a consignment consisting of two cabinets declared as household furniture. ABF officers x-rayed the shipment and discovered 120 packages of suspected drugs, which presumptive testing identified as cocaine.
The case was referred to the Victorian Joint Organised Crime Taskforce (JOCTF)—comprising the Australian Federal Police, Victoria Police, the ABF, and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission. Authorities substituted the illicit substances and carried out a controlled delivery to a storage facility in Essendon.
Police allege that a 49-year-old woman from Pascoe Vale South was the consignee and coordinated the movement of the shipment at the facility on 20 October 2026. Investigators also tracked two men, aged 31 from Rockbank and 40 from Cairnlea. Authorities allege the 31-year-old transported the consignment to Keilor, where it was split into two vehicles. One vehicle was driven to Glenroy, where the 40-year-old was arrested, while the 31-year-old was intercepted and arrested in Rockbank. The woman was subsequently arrested at a residence in Pascoe Vale.
All three individuals were charged with importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug and attempting to possess a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported border-controlled drug. The charges carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
The accused appeared before the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on 21 October 2026. The two men were remanded in custody after being refused bail, while the woman was granted conditional bail. All three are scheduled to return to court on 10 February 2027.
Victoria Police
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