AUSTRALIAN authorities have seized more than half a tonne of methamphetamine, commonly known as Ice and with a potential street value of AUD438 million (US$312 million), hidden in commercial refrigerators imported from Singapore.
A joint opereation mounted by the Australian Border Force (ABF) and New South Wales police found the drugs, weighing a total of 585 kilogrammes hidden in commercial fridges inside a shipping container at the Sydney Container Examination Facility in port Botany.
Authorities were told it contained electronic ovens but a search of the container found it held 11 commercial refrigerators, stuffed with 561 packages of methamphetamine, otherwise known as 'Ice'.
Police say the haul represents a change in the way illegal drug manufacturers are now importing their contraband into Australia.
In the past, drug manufacturers tried sending smaller amounts to overseas markets, but more often now they are 'simply' going for large amounts, officers told journalists, said a report by 7News, New South Wales.
WORLD SHIPPING
A joint opereation mounted by the Australian Border Force (ABF) and New South Wales police found the drugs, weighing a total of 585 kilogrammes hidden in commercial fridges inside a shipping container at the Sydney Container Examination Facility in port Botany.
Authorities were told it contained electronic ovens but a search of the container found it held 11 commercial refrigerators, stuffed with 561 packages of methamphetamine, otherwise known as 'Ice'.
Police say the haul represents a change in the way illegal drug manufacturers are now importing their contraband into Australia.
In the past, drug manufacturers tried sending smaller amounts to overseas markets, but more often now they are 'simply' going for large amounts, officers told journalists, said a report by 7News, New South Wales.
WORLD SHIPPING