Two men have been sentenced after trying to smuggle 100 grams of cocaine into the Northern Territory, hidden inside sneakers.

The investigation began when ABF officers examined an air cargo shipment that had arrived in Australia from Peru on June 6.

The consignment held a shoebox with sneakers and food items. The sneakers were carrying 131 grams of white powder, which tested positive for cocaine.

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AFP officers confiscated the cocaine and swapped it with an alternative substance before orchestrating a controlled delivery of the package to its target destination in Casuarina, Darwin, on June 12.

Officers arrested two men, aged 35 and 36, when they attempted to collect the package the next day.

Further forensic testing found 103.2 grams of pure cocaine, with an estimated street value of $65,900.

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“Although it may appear to be a modest quantity of cocaine… it amounted to hundreds of individual street transactions of 0.2 grams,” stated AFP Superintendent Greg Davis.

“In 2022-23, there were 985 hospital admissions related to cocaine across the country, averaging over two daily, which heavily burdens our healthcare systems.”

Both men pleaded guilty to drug importing offences on May 21. 

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Yesterday, the 35-year-old man was sentenced to three years in prison, with 15 months left to serve before he will be released on a 21-month suspended sentence.

His accomplice, the 36-year-old, was given 18 months in jail, with six months already served he will be released on a 12-month suspended sentence.