New Zealander charged after bid to smuggle $10m of heroin into Australia

A New Zealand man has been charged with trying to import $10 million worth of heroin into Sydney in floral-patterned bags.

In a joint statement the Australian Federal Police and Australian Border Force said the Kiwi was accused of importing 21kg of heroin into Australia hidden inside his luggage.

The 21-year-old was charged with importing a commercial quantity of heroin, an offence that carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

He is expected to appear in NSW Bail Division Local Court on Monday.

The Australian Border Force said officers selected the man for a baggage examination upon his arrival into Sydney Airport on board an international flight from Thailand on Sunday.

They searched two suitcases belonging to the man and allegedly found 21 floral-patterned, vacuum-sealed bags containing a white powdery substance.

This amount of heroin had an estimated street value of more than $10 million, with the potential for about 100,000 streel-level deals, police said.

Border Force Superintendent Elke West said this detection is a good reminder to every passenger crossing the borders with illicit goods and substances - the risk is not worth the reward.

"The ABF uses on a sophisticated layered approach to targeting passengers at our airports for examination," West said.

"This detection demonstrates that our systems, technology, intelligence sharing and human judgement all complement each other to identify high-risk travellers before they can do more harm in our communities.