A 52-year-old man has been charged after a large amount of child abuse material was allegedly hidden in his underwear and shoes at Sydney Airport.

The Sydney man had landed from Fiji on June 25 when he was stopped for a screening.

The Australian Border Force said its officers examined his phone and allegedly found a “significant quantity” of child abuse material stored across several apps.

The man allegedly admitted to deleting images before arriving in Sydney.

Border Force officers then searched his bags and found another phone, a tablet, a smart watch, a hard drive, and laptop.

All devices were taken for further inspection.

The man was then frisked, leading officers to allegedly find another five hard drives hidden in his shoes and one more in his underwear. 

He was arrested and charged with several offences including the importation of child abuse material, using a carriage service to transmit child abuse material and obstructing Commonwealth officials.

He was refused bail and will reappear in court on August 19.

Australian Border Force Acting Superintendent Michael Mahony said the case highlighted the effort to protect children from harm.

“Every file intercepted is a potential crime prevented, and a child safeguarded,” he said.

“This case is a disturbing example of the extreme lengths some individuals go to in order to conceal their criminal activity, and we congratulate the officers involved for removing one more predator from our streets.”

Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800.