An Australian who was arrested for smuggling cocaine from Fiji to Sydney has been sentenced to seven years and six months behind bars.

An Australian who was arrested for smuggling cocaine from Fiji to Sydney has been sentenced to seven years and six months behind bars.

A joint media statement from the Fiji Police Force, Australian Federal Police, Australian Border Force, New Zealand Police and other agencies confirms the man was arrested in October 2019.

The 34-year-old man who attempted to smuggle almost 40 kilograms of cocaine into Australia was jailed last month with a minimum of four years before being eligible for parole.

Suspicions were raised after the offender travelled to Fiji without any checked-in luggage and upon his return to Australia, border police found 34 blocks of cocaine in his luggage.

Australian Federal Police (AFP) charged the man with importing a commercial quantity of cocaine.

A Pacific Transnational and Serious Organised Crime Taskforce investigation found the offender was linked to a larger transnational organized crime syndicate.

This resulted in the arrest of an additional four men in Fiji, with search warrants executed across a number of locations.

A fifth man was also arrested in Australia.

Acting Commissioner of Police Rusiate Tudravu says Fiji will assist all efforts to disrupt criminal organizations as the illicit drug trade can seriously threaten the civility of life.