A Hunter man will face court again in Western Australia in September after he was accused of being the alleged coordinator of a 2021 drug importation operation.
Australian Federal Police officers arrested the 39-year-old Singleton man at Mandurah in late May over the alleged importation of 3.4kg of gamma-butyrolactone (GBL), which was disguised as cosmetics.
He is the third person to be arrested in connection with the investigation.
Police will allege he facilitated the purchase and delivery of the drugs.
The investigation began when Australian Border Force officers at a Perth air cargo facility examined a consignment from China after noticing anomalies.
Further inspection revealed 250 small bottles labelled 'eyelash remover', which contained liquid that tested positive for GBL.
AFP investigators replaced the illicit drugs with an inert substance, before delivering it to an address in Kensington.
Officers arrested a Kensington woman, 28, who allegedly collected the consignment and delivered it to a 43-year-old St James man.
The man and woman were charged with importing a border controlled substance. Both remain before the courts.
AFP Inspector Chris Colley said GBL could result in loss of consciousness and inhibit memory functions with just a few millilitres.
"The AFP is committed to stopping these harmful drugs from infecting our communities, and will not stop hunting down those who are involved in this harmful trade even if years have passed," Inspector Colley said.
The 3.4kgs of GBL seized had an estimated street value of $69,000 and could have resulted in more than 1000 individual street deals, police allege.
The Singleton man was charged with one count of importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug.
He faced Perth magistrates court on August 11, where the matter was adjourned to September 22.
