Two-year sentence for illegally imported meat

An importer has received a gaol sentence after she was found to have illegally imported more than 10 tonnes of meat from Korea.

The importer, Ji Young Kim, who directed a quarantine facility under the trading name The Three Man Plus Pty Ltd, pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated illegal importation, possession of illegally imported goods and failure to follow a direction from the Department of Agriculture.

Kim was convicted and sentenced to two years and six months’ imprisonment. The company also pleaded guilty and was convicted and fined $55,000.

If a significant foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreak were to occur due to illegally imported meat, it could cost Australia about $50 billion over 10 years, the Department of Agriculture estimates.

“Ms Kim was charged as a result of a targeted operation which cracked down on illegal meat imports that could have had devastating impacts on Australia’s livestock industry,” said Colin Hunter, first assistant secretary of the Border Compliance Division.

“The tough sentence reflects the serious nature of the crime. There is no tolerance for importers who deliberately break the law. The department runs targeted campaigns to weed out illegal activity and follows through under the Australian legal system.”

The illegal importing was discovered through the department’s Operation Hayride, an investigation and compliance operation that targeted deliberate and serious breaches of the Quarantine Act. More prosecutions arising from the operation are underway, the department says.

Under the Quarantine Act 1908, people convicted of illegal importation can face up to 10 years’ gaol. In cases of commercial importation, a fine of up to $1.7 million per offence may apply.