A Sydney man has been sentenced after more than $618,000 in cash was found inside his suitcase at Perth Airport.
The Kingsford man, now aged 32, was travelling through the airport’s domestic terminal on March 14, 2023, when security screening detected something unusual inside his luggage.
A search of the suitcase uncovered bundles of cash later counted at $618,360.
The man claimed the money was connected to cash transactions involving tobacco businesses but did not provide documents showing the funds were legitimate.
He also said he intended to use the money to purchase a tobacconist in Perth, but the proposed sale did not go ahead.
The man was charged with dealing with property reasonably suspected of being the proceeds of crime.
The discovery also led to a separate Australian Border Force investigation and prosecution for customs-related offences.
He pleaded guilty on June 15, 2026.
The man appeared in Sydney District Court on August 7, where he was sentenced to 16 months’ imprisonment for the proceeds-of-crime offence.
He was also sentenced to a total of two years and six months’ imprisonment for the customs offences.
Both sentences will be served at the same time in the community under an intensive correction order.