Over 300 kg of meth seized in Sydney

Sydney, May 24 (IANS) Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Australian Border Force said on Wednesday that more than 300 kg of methamphetamine was seized in Sydney.

A joint statement said the seized naroctics could have been sold as more than 3 million individual street deals and reached an estimated street value of over A$273 million ($180 million), reports Xinhua news agency.

The drugs were hidden inside a steel hydraulic press, which arrived in the state of New South Wales on board a ship on April 18.

Engineering experts identified a white substance deep inside the machinery, after drilling into the core of the hydraulic press.

The machinery was pulled apart to reveal 79 circle-shaped blocks of methamphetamine.

The blocks were stored within two lead-lined tubs in a bid to evade detection.

"Methamphetamine causes immense harm. On average, 33 people were hospitalised each day in Australia for methamphetamine-related incidents in 2020-21," said AFP Detective Sergeant Salam Zreika.

Zreika noted that the funding needed to obtain 300 kg of methamphetamine, and to develop such a complex concealment method could be achieved only by a well-established organised crime syndicate.

The AFP is currently seeking information to identify the transnational crime syndicate.

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