Australia seizes 336kg of heroin in second-largest haul

Sydney, Australia, Apr 4 (EFE).- Australia has seized 336 kilograms of heroin hidden inside cement blocks from Malaysia in its second-largest shipment of the drug ever detected in the country, authorities said Tuesday.

The shipment, which represents more than a third of Australia’s annual heroin consumption, has a total street value of AU$268.8 million ($182 million), according to a statement from the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Australian Border Force (ABF).

The drug, in 960 packages, arrived on Mar. 13 to a Brisbane, Queensland, port and were picked up by the ABF hidden in two 500kg concrete blocks marked as solar panel accessories.

In the operation, the AFP arrested a 55-year-old man who allegedly collected the cargo and transported it in a rented truck to a shed in western Sydney, New South Wales, where he proceeded to cut into the blocks to access the drugs, the statement added.

The suspect has been charged with two drug offenses, both punishable with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

The seizure is Australia’s second largest onshore detection, only surpassed by 450kg of heroin seized in Melbourne, Victoria, in 2021. EFE

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