Three Charged in Melbourne Over Alleged 120kg Cocaine Importation Scheme

Three people were arrested in Melbourne on Tuesday, 20 October 2026, and subsequently charged over their alleged involvement in attempting to import 120 kilograms of cocaine hidden inside furniture sent from Greece.

According to the Australian Border Force (ABF), the investigation began on 9 October 2026 when border officers identified anomalies in a consignment of two cabinets declared as household furniture. An X-ray examination revealed 120 packages of suspected cocaine concealed within the items, which was confirmed through presumptive testing.

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. Taskforce officers removed the illicit substances and conducted a controlled delivery of the shipment to a storage facility in Essendon.

Authorities allege that a 49-year-old woman from Pascoe Vale South was the consignee who coordinated the movement of the shipment at the storage facility. A 31-year-old man from Rockbank allegedly transported the consignment to an address in Keilor, where the packages were split into two vehicles. The 31-year-old was later intercepted and arrested in Rockbank, while a 40-year-old man from Cairnlea was arrested after driving the second vehicle to Glenroy. The woman was arrested separately at a Pascoe Vale property.

All three individuals have been 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 defendants appeared in 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.

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