Australian Customs and Border Protection and Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service have charged a 49-year-old Hong Kong for allegedly trying to smuggled some 8.5 kilograms of methamphetamine.

In a joint statement, the agencies said the man would appear in Sydney Central Local Court in connection with the reported smuggling attempt.

On 27 March, an international mail package was referred by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service to Customs and Border Protection at the Sydney Gateway Facility. The package was examined and found to contain nine sealed foil bags labelled as coffee.

Further investigations revealed a substance which returned a positive presumptive test for methamphetamine.

The matter was referred to the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and a police investigation commenced.

The package was delivered to an address in Carlton yesterday, where the man was arrested by AFP officers after he attempted to take possession of the package.

The man was charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, namely methamphetamine, contrary to section 307.5(1) of the Criminal Code Act 1995, by virtue of section 11.1 of the Criminal Code Act 1995.

The maximum penalty for this offence is life imprisonment and/or a $825,000 fine.

Further forensic testing will be undertaken to confirm the exact weight and purity of the substance.