The Australian woman, who arrived in Australia from Vietnam on February 16, allegedly tried to hide ephedrine in undeclared food items including mushroom seasoning, pancake flour, ginseng tea, mountain tea and Korean breadcrumbs.
Customs officers allege 12kg of the powder was seized.
The Vietnamese woman was allegedly caught with 4.5kg of ephedrine concealed in food, including avocado extract.
Ephedrine, which cannot be legally imported without a permit, can be used to make amphetamines such as ice.
Further testing and weighing will be carried out to determine the exact chemical compounds and amounts of the substances.
-AAP