Using Vintage Bentley Car as a Smokescreen for Cross-Border Smuggling

This month, a 1960 Bentley S2 was seized by Australian police with an estimated value of no less than $106 million. However, this figure does not come from the car itself.

Everything happened when Australian border forces X-rayed a cargo container to check the vintage Bentley that had just arrived at Sydney port from Canada. They discovered a massive amount of contraband, including crystal meth and cocaine.

Upon further inspection of the car, they found some of these illicit substances hidden underneath the classic headlights. The border forces then handed the vehicle over to the local police. After completely dismantling the Bentley, they found a total of 161kg of crystal meth and 60kg of cocaine with a combined value of $106 million.

Instead of keeping the Bentley, the Australian police released the vehicle after removing the illegal cargo to track down its final destination, resulting in the arrest of a major domestic drug trafficking gang.

Australia has been grappling with the rampant drug problem for many years. The high price and high demand have made the country a target for criminal organizations involved in the illicit drug trade. Vehicles, in particular, have proven to be an effective disguise for smuggling contraband.

Not only in Australia, but cars are also frequently used to transport contraband and have been seized in North America. On numerous occasions, both exported and newly manufactured cars have been discovered to have hidden contraband while being transported into the United States from Mexico in large quantities.

The most common areas searched on vehicles are the door frames, behind the headlights, under the car floor, or inside the tires.