The Australian Border Force (ABF) said they’d seized 1.6 tons of methylamphetamine, commonly known as “ice,” and 37 kilograms of heroin that had been shipped to the country. The drugs had been hidden in vacuum-sealed containers lodged inside stereo speakers, Trend reported citing Sputnik.
The drugs, worth around $840 million, were shipped from Bangkok, Thailand, to Melbourne, Australia, according to police. They were discovered at the Melbourne Container Examination Facility after going through an X-ray machine that detects anomalies.
This is the largest meth bust we’ve ever seen in this country, and demonstrates not only the brazen nature of those involved in this criminal activity, but the resolve of the ABF in Victoria and around the country to stop these imports,” Border Force Commander Craig Palmer said, according to Channel News Asia.
“Last financial year the ABF made 43,000 detections of illicit drugs weighing more than 11.8 tons — so this seizure is equal to more than 13% of the total drugs we seized last financial year,” Palmer added.
So far, no arrests have been made and Australian police forces have requested that the public come forward with any information regarding the smuggling operation.
“The effect of these drugs on the community and families would have been profound,” Peter Bodel, Australian Federal Police acting commander, said in the statement. “It may be your loved one, a friend or neighbor who has been spared the terrifying impact of this mammoth shipment.”