$540 Million Worth of Meth Seized in Port Botany

Australian authorities have made a major drug bust in Port Botany, uncovering a large shipment of methamphetamine in an inbound shipping container arriving from the United States.

The discovery was made on July 22 when Australian Border Force (ABF) examining the container discovered about 896kg of the illicit powdered substance hidden inside packages tucked away in two separate computer numerical control (CNC) machines.

The drugs were removed, and the consignment was delivered to its intended address in Warwick Farm on July 31. Police will allege two men examined and opened the container and, with the assistance of a forklift, began to handle the contents inside. Both men were subsequently arrested, and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) executed search warrants on the property, a home in Minto and a vehicle.

One of the men was later released pending further inquiries while the other was charged with one count of attempting to possess a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported border-controlled drug, namely methamphetamine. The man, 31, appeared in Downing Centre Local Court yesterday and been remanded in custody. He will appear in court on October 2 and could potentially face life imprisonment.

Investigations are ongoing and further arrests are anticipated, officials said.

AFP Detective Superintendent Peter Fogarty said 896kg of methamphetamine could have been sold as 8.9 million individual street deals and had an estimated street value of $828 million (US$539.6 million).

“Methamphetamine is the second-most consumed illicit drug in Australia and its impact can be felt across the community, from our homes to our hospitals," Det-Supt Fogarty said.

“Criminal syndicates go to great lengths to conceal their activities, but that will never deter the AFP and its domestic and international partners. We will find those responsible and bring them before the courts.

Officials said the bust was made following an anonymous tip-off to Crime Stoppers and intelligence received from the United States' Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

ABF Acting Commander Asha Patwardhan said this was an excellent example of how intelligence sharing between agencies and international partnerships with border and law enforcement agencies could result in swift action.

“Criminal syndicates will attempt to conceal their imports in whatever ways they can, however our ABF officers are expertly trained to identify anomalies in various forms no matter what type of complex concealment is employed," Acting Commander Patwardhan said.

“Working closely with our federal counterparts provided ABF officers with the additional knowledge to intercept the consignment promptly, which resulted in almost nine million individual deals not making it to the streets.

“It's the collaborative effort between agencies and the public, who report suspicious activity when they observe it, which can deliver results such as this. We encourage anyone who wishes to report any adverse or suspicious border behavior to contact Border Watch online."

Homeland Security Investigations Regional Attaché Ernest Verina said the international reach of organized crime was dismantled by law enforcement partnerships, like the one between Australia and the United States.

“HSI is resolute in stopping the flow of these dangerous drugs from entering our communities," he said.