Australian police seize 1.8 tons of crystal methamphetamine
Sydney, Australia, Aug 26 (EFE).- The Australian Police reported on Friday having seized some 1.8 tons of crystal methamphetamine, the largest ever seizure of the drug, with a black market value of AU$1.6 billion ($1.115 billion).
The shipments and camouflage were very sophisticated, said New South Wales Deputy police commissioner Erin Dale at a press conference in Sydney, commenting on the discovery of the drug from the Middle East, hidden in marble slabs.
The Australian authorities have so far arrested three persons, although they have not been able to dismantle the drug-trafficking mafia responsible for importing this illicit drug into the Oceanic country.
The seizure of this crystal meth shipment by the New South Wales Region Police took place in two operations, the first one last month when more than 750 kilograms of crystal meth were discovered, camouflaged in marble slabs inside 24 containers to Sydney Harbour.
The second one occurred this week as the regional authorities seized 19 containers at the Sydney Maritime Terminal, which contained 1,060 kilograms of the drug, also camouflaged in marble slabs.
On the other hand, customs authorities reported Friday that they found 161 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine and 30 kilograms of cocaine hidden inside a Bentley car from Canada.
In Australia – one of the world’s largest per capita users of methamphetamine -, about 3.4 million inhabitants or nearly 14 percent of the population use illicit drugs, according to official data. EFE
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