The 62-year-old was stopped by Australian Border Force (ABF) officers when touching down at Brisbane Airport on a flight from Los Angeles on September 5.

After examining his luggage, they located 12 plastic-sealed bags containing a white crystallised substance.

Initial testing returned a positive result for methamphetamine.

The 35kg of meth has an estimated street value of $11.4 million, according to the Australian Federal Police.

Subsequently, the man was charged with one count of importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

He faced Brisbane Arrest Court on Saturday September 6.

AFP Detective acting Superintendent Shane Scott spoke of the arrest, and how it was part of an ongoing effort from law and border enforcement to quell the supply of illegal drugs into Australia.

“I want to reiterate our borders at airports are patrolled actively and diligently by the AFP and ABF to target illegal drugs coming into the country,” he said.

“This seizure could have equated to 17,500 individual street-level deals of 0.2 grams, with an estimated street value of $11.4 million now no longer destined for the pockets of criminals.”