Australian police seize 45 kg‘ice’ worth $34M

MELBOURNE (PNA/Xinhua) – Australian Border Force (ABF) authorities in Western Australia (WA) have discovered 45 kg. of methamphetamine, known as “ice, ” worth $34 million, in a shipping container from Africa.

Rod O’Donnell, regional commander of the ABF in WA, told Fairfax media Tuesday that the seizure was just one example of the AFP and ABF’s commitment to stemming the illegal drug trade in Australia.

About 106 packages of methamphetamine were detected in the container, which was deemed suspicious. When it was X-rayed, the drugs were found concealed within timber logs.

“This seizure is yet another example of the ABF’s success in targeting large shipments of methamphetamine arriving in air and sea cargo,” O’Donnell said.

WA Police and Australian Federal Police (AFP) tracked the containers delivery address to Baldivis, a semi-rural suburb 50 km south of Perth, where two men, aged 54 and 42 respectively, were arrested and charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported drug.

Another 33-year-old WA man and a 29-year-old Nigerian man in Victoria were also arrested in connection to the crime and charged with importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug.

Sewage tests carried out in August revealed that West Australians are using two tons of methamphetamine, worth $1.5 billion, every year.