An Indian man has been charged after Australian authorities found a shipment of pseudoephedrine worth $5.6 million hidden in a food shipment at Sydney’s Port of Botany.The man appeared in Parramatta District Court on Thursday after Australian Border Force officers seized about 166kg of pseudoephedrine, a controlled chemical commonly used in the manufacture of methamphetamine.The shipment arrived from India in early May 2026, and was declared a food product, Australia Today reported. ABF officers became suspicious after anomalies were discovered on three platforms during an inspection at Port Botany. Close examination revealed several bags filled with a white powder that was later found to contain pseudoephedrine.Investigators claim that the seized quantity has an estimated market value of approximately $5.6 million.On May 11, ABF officers conducted a managed delivery, allowing the shipment to be transported to a storage facility in Parramatta under surveillance. Three days later, a man was arrested after trying to collect the shipment.He has since been charged with importation of a border controlled substance under section 307.11(3) of the Criminal Code (Cth). The maximum penalty for this crime is 25 years in prison.
Authorities later searched the man’s hotel room on May 15, where they found three cellphones, a laptop, and work-related documents.“The seizure demonstrated the effectiveness of intelligence-led border operations,” ABF Superintendent Sean Baker commented on the agency’s intelligence-led approach to border security, describing pseudoephedrine as “a key ingredient in the production of methamphetamine that fuels serious drug harm in Australian communities.”
