Deemed as the biggest drug bust ever, thousands of silicone bra inserts and art supplies filled with liquid methamphetamine were seized by Australian authorities. The street value of the total drugs seized, according to officials, amounted to more than $900 million.
The recent drug bust was part of the series of investigations performed by the Australian Federal Police, which all started in November. They have been on the lookout for smuggled liquid meth purportedly disguised or hidden in ordinarily innocent looking items.
According to a Yahoo News report, two incidents in January were connected with the drug bust. A Hong Kong national was arrested in the middle of January for importing border controlled drugs, related to the 86 boxes of silicone bra inserts. The importation from Hong Kong was discovered in December where close to 200 gallons of "ice" or liquid methamphetamine was seized.
The second incident was the discovery of two drug manufacturing dens in Sydney, believed to be linked to the liquid meth found in the art supplies where 530 liters of the prohibited drug was concealed in the said items. One 59-year old male Chinese, and a 52-year old female from Hong Kong were arrested in this incident.
In a report by CNN, Federal Justice Minister Michael Keenan said that, "This has resulted in 3.6 million individual hits of ice being taken off our streets." The drug bust was said to have been the biggest in the history of Australia.
According to Chris Sheehan, Australian Federal Police (AFP) State Manager NSW Commander, "It's well-known that China is a very significant source country for methylamphetamine, not just here in Australia but around the world."
Justice Keenan also said that, "This is a devastating blow for the organized criminal gangs that peddle in ice." Directing his statement to the drug manufacturers and sellers, he said, "and it shows you that if you do target the Australian market, we have the powers and the resources to prosecute you."
