Drugs worth £1 billion found hidden in marble tiles in Australia’s largest drug bust | World News
Australian authorities have seized 1.8 tonnes of methamphetamine in the country’s largest illegal drug trade.
Hidden in marble bricks shipped from the Middle East to Sydney, the drugs were valued at A$1.6 billion (£944.2 million) by police.
Three men were arrested after methamphetamine was discovered in 24 containers at Port Botany earlier this month.
Last week, another 1,060kg (2,337lbs) of drugs were found in 19 containers at the same port, stashed in a similar manner and shipped from the United Arab Emirates.
Supt Police Chief John Watson described the amount of meth as “incredible”.
“This convulsion will continue for weeks to come for many high-end, mid-tier and lower-end vendors,” he said.
“I think the amount of damage that has been mitigated here is substantial. This arrest is the largest in Australian history, so what we’re seeing now is the organization is active locally. on our shores, they have international connections, so we’re digging into that.”
No arrests have been made since last week’s arrest, and investigators are now focused on identifying overseas suppliers.
“The Middle East is probably our main focus, but I certainly wouldn’t limit our investigation to that region either,” added Director Supt Watson.
The three men who were arrested – aged 24, 26 and 34 – will face life in prison if they are found guilty of drug trafficking.
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They all appeared in court and were denied bail.
Australia’s previous record shipping volume was 1.6 tonnes, found in speakers and shipped to Melbourne from Bangkok in April 2019.
