January 27, 2008 Sydney, Australia
400 grams of Heroin seized that were concealed internally by a German man

A 47-year-old German man is expected to appear in Sydney Central Local Court today charged with allegedly smuggling drugs into Australia.

Customs officers at Sydney International Airport stopped the man when he arrived on a flight from Dubai on Sunday 27 January. During questioning, officers became suspicious that he may have been concealing drugs internally. The man was referred to the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and taken to hospital for a medical examination.

It will be alleged in court the man had swallowed up to 94 packages suspected of containing heroin.

The drugs are estimated to weigh 400 grams and are currently the subject of forensic testing to determine the purity of the drugs and value. The man has been charged with importing a marketable quantity of a border controlled drug under the Commonwealth Criminal Code 1995.

The maximum penalty for this offence is 25 years imprisonment.

Source: Australia Customs Service