{"id":14814,"date":"2019-06-07T01:52:45","date_gmt":"2019-06-07T05:52:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/?p=14814"},"modified":"2019-06-07T01:52:45","modified_gmt":"2019-06-07T05:52:45","slug":"australias-biggest-meth-bust-drugs-found-hidden-inside-speakers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2019\/06\/07\/australias-biggest-meth-bust-drugs-found-hidden-inside-speakers\/","title":{"rendered":"Australia’s biggest meth bust: Drugs found hidden inside speakers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Australian authorities say they have seized the nation’s largest-ever haul of methamphetamine, an illicit drug known locally as ice.<\/p>\n

The drugs, with an estimated street value of A$1.2bn (\u00a3660m; $840m), were found hidden inside stereo speakers in a shipment at a Melbourne port.<\/p>\n

The consignment had come from Thailand, police said. No arrests have been made.<\/p>\n

Ice has been described as the most common and damaging illegal drug in Australia.<\/p>\n

Authorities said the 1.6 tonne bust was equal to more than 13% of all drugs seized in the state of Victoria last year.<\/p>\n

It was detected after the Australian Border Force (ABF) used an X-ray to reveal “anomalies” in the cargo shipment following its arrival from Bangkok.<\/p>\n

Police said about 37kg of heroin was also discovered in vacuum-sealed bags inside the speakers.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/span>
The 1.6 tonne stash was found hidden inside speakers<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

ABF regional commander Craig Palmer said it was “the largest meth bust we’ve ever seen in this country” and showed the “brazen nature of those involved in this criminal activity”.<\/p>\n

The Australian Federal Police said the “insidious” drugs would have devastated communities.<\/p>\n

They have appealed for public help to find those responsible.<\/p>\n

Australia’s ‘ice’ problem<\/h2>\n

The powerful drug – which can be smoked, snorted or injected – became the focus of a national taskforce in 2015 to tackle its growing use.<\/p>\n

The move followed a report by the Australian Crime Commission (ACC) that found crystal meth posed the highest risk to communities of any illegal substance.<\/p>\n

Victoria – Australia’s second-most populous state – consumes more than two tonnes of crystal meth every year, according to government figures.<\/p>\n

The ACC says the price of crystal meth in Australia is among the highest in the world, driving the country’s organised crime gangs to trade increasingly in the drug.<\/p>\n

In February,\u00a0police arrested six people in Victoria and New South Wales\u00a0<\/a>after a huge stash of the drug was intercepted in the US.<\/p>\n

Source: bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Australian authorities say they have seized the nation’s largest-ever haul of methamphetamine, an illicit drug known locally as ice. The drugs, with an estimated street value of A$1.2bn (\u00a3660m; $840m), were found hidden inside stereo