Two Polish men have been arrested and face a possible life-long jail term after one of the largest drug hauls in Australian history.
Police found 1.2 tonnes of crystal MDMA, better known as ecstasy, in what is the largest amount of drugs seized in the country this year. It is the fourth-largest haul of ecstasy ever, according to the country’s justice minister Michael Keenan.
At a value of £90.6m ($110.4m), the drugs could have been used to produce 4.1 million ecstasy tablets, police said.
The drugs were hidden in lead casings inside aluminium rolls in what was described as a “very sophisticated concealment”.
Tim Fitzgerald, New South Wales regional director for the Australian Border Force, said he thought the use of lead was “meant to deter or disrupt our ability through the use of X-rays”.
Police believe the drugs came from the Czech Republic and say the two men, aged 28 and 29, who were arrested are part of an international crime ring.
Justine Saunders, acting deputy commissioner of operations for the Australian Federal Police, said the crime “has international implications”… “This has come from Czechoslovakia and has found its way to Australia, so this is bigger than the two individuals that we have arrested.” … “So, yes the investigation will continue and, yes, we do anticipate further arrests.”
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