Packed to the Rafters star sentenced to SIX YEARS JAIL over his role in the illegal importation of a staggering 112kg of meth from China

A baby-faced actor who appeared on a popular Channel Seven series has been sentenced to prison over his role in the importation of methamphetamines into Australia from China.

Jarin Towney, who played Cooper on Packed to the Rafters between 2012 - 2013, was sentenced to six years and nine months imprisonment on Tuesday at Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney.

His sentence has been backdated to July 19, with a non-parole period of three years and four months.

He was also charged with drug possession, which was linked to the international smuggling ring thwarted by the Australian Federal Police.

Towney was charged over the importation and possession of a commercial quantity of methamphetamines on two separate occasions last year in the upmarket Sydney suburb of Surry Hills.

The Australian Federal Police initially charged Towney last year over a major drug ring involving the attempted importation of 112kg of the banned substance.

The illicit haul was hidden inside commercial machinery and arrived at the Port of Melbourne on July 5, 2023.

Authorities allege the shipment was collected by a Melbourne logistics company and transported to a factory in the southwest Sydney suburb of Yagoona on July 18.

The next day the AFP swooped in, executing search warrants at both the factory and a residence in Surry Hills. 

Their raid uncovered more damning evidence - a disused drug lab tucked inside the factory.

This was alongside equipment believed to have been used for drug manufacturing.

This latest charge marks a troubling chapter for the troubled actor, whose career has been overshadowed by a string of both minor and major offences. 

In May last year, Towney escaped conviction for riding a motorbike while his licence was suspended.

Back in 2022, he was convicted in a Sydney court for using spray paint to write graffiti at a Sydney train station.

He was given a $300 fine, sentenced to a 30-month Community Corrective Order and warned to stay on his best behaviour. 

Prior to that, he was charged with trespassing, offensive behaviour and hindering police. 

It is a huge fall from grace for the former child star who acted alongside Sam Worthington in the 2016 Mel Gibson movie Hacksaw Ridge.

The former actor was once seen as one of Australia's most brightest future talents, appearing alongside Essie Davis in an episode of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. 

In 2015, Towney was nominated for Most Outstanding New Talent at the now defunct ASTRA Awards. 

He also appeared in three episodes of the Australian crime drama Underbelly, which is based on the real life criminal activities of Aussie gangsters. 

His final role was in the 2020 Australian movie Chasing Wonders, opposite Blade Runner actor Edward James Olmos.

Towney had since retired from acting and was work in a retail shop in Sydney, at the time of his arrest last year.