A 53-year-old German national will appear in Stirling Gardens Magistrate Court on Wednesday on charges of attempting to import five kilograms of methamphetamine into Perth. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Australian Customs and Border Protection Service (ACBPS) said in a press release on Tuesday.

The German national was arrested on arrival at the Perth Airport on his way from Brussels, on Aug 19, after ACBPS officers picked his baggage for examination.

X-ray examination of the man's baggage revealed concealment of drugs within the lining of his suitcase. ACBPS officers tore open the suitcase and found a sealed plastic bag containing white crystals.

Police after, initial tests said, the substance was 5 kilograms of methamphetamine. They said, further testing will be conducted to determine the exact nature and purity of the substance.

Authorities said, the man has been charged under section 307.1 of the Criminal Code Act (cth) 1995 for importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug.

The maximum penalty for this offence is $1,275,000 in fines or 25 years imprisonment.

Tonie Differding, ACBPS National Manager Airport Operations South, termed the detection as significant.

"This seizure is another example of the excellent border protection work our officers undertake every day," Ms Differding said.

David Stewart, AFP acting National Manager Aviation said the interception demonstrated the combined effort in place to stop drugs entering Australia.

"The AFP and its partner agencies share a common goal to protect our community by ensuring that dangerous drugs never hit the streets," acting Assistant Commissioner Stewart said.

A recent study, led by Professor Louisa Degenhardt from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at the University of New South Wales, has found that Australia has one of the world's worst drug problems. But it is not alone. The UK, US, South Africa and Russia also have major habits and high levels of illness and death caused by drugs.