By Nick Toscano
Australian customs officers have thwarted an attempt to smuggle more than four kilograms of illegal drugs stashed in baby prams on board an air cargo from China.
Customs and border protection found the illicit precursor drug ephedrine embedded in the cushions of three prams scanned with x-rays at Sydney airport last Monday.
They noticed irregularities in the cushions and found a crystal substance that returned a positive test for ephedrine - a substance used to manufacture amphetamine drugs including ice.
Australian Customs and Border Protection's manager of cargo operations, Jagtej Singh, said the haul of 4.5 kilograms of ephedrine would help curb the domestic manufacture and trafficking of illegal drugs.
He said trained officers would continue to target prohibited chemicals "no matter how creative the attempt to smuggle the goods in".
People caught importing a marketable amount of a border-controlled precursor, such as ephedrine, could face a fine of up to $510,000 and 15 years in prison.
A customs and border protection spokesman said investigations were ongoing and no charges had been laid.
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