Three Mexican nationals have been arrested in Sydney over an alleged plot to import $185 million worth of methamphetamine into Australia by infusing it into the paintwork of a shipping container.
A father and son, 25 and 49, and a 25-year-old woman were arrested on Monday at a home in the suburb of Box Hill believed to be occupied by the shipping container’s recipients.
Both men were charged with one count of attempting to possess a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported border controlled drug and will appear before a bail court on Tuesday, while the woman was released pending further enquiries, the Australian Border Force (ABF) said.
Three Mexicans have been arrested in Sydney over an alleged plot to import $185M worth of meth infused in shipping container paintwork into Australia.
Follow: @NoticerNews pic.twitter.com/zyJrmhCtcE
— The Noticer (@NoticerNews) June 16, 2026
The pair face a maximum penalty of life imprisonment if convicted.
The ABF said an investigation began earlier this month when officers intercepted a “targeted consignment” from Mexico, which tested positive to narcotics after being inspected by detector dogs.
The matter was then referred to the Australian Federal Police, and forensic investigators allegedly identified a layer of methamphetamine infused within the internal paintwork of the container.
Police will allege the container’s paintwork held more than 200kg of methamphetamine, equating to two million individual street deals, with an estimated street value of $185 million.
During the Box Hill search warrant police seized electronic devices and industrial equipment which was to allegedly be used in the extraction of methamphetamine.
ABF Superintendent Jared Leighton said the concealment method showed organised crime syndicates were willing to go to extreme lengths to sneak drugs into Australia.
“Detailed examination of cargo is critical to protecting the border, and our officers are highly skilled in identifying anomalies in even the most elaborate concealments,” he said.
“This detection reinforces that the ABF is well-equipped to detect even highly complex importation attempts. Every detection emphasises the strength of ABF’s intelligence-led approach to protecting Australia’s borders.”
Header image: Left, right, the younger man and the woman being arrested. Inset, the meth-infused paint (ABF).
