Australia has made its largest methamphetamine bust in its history. According to latest reports, Australian officers have confiscated liquid methamphetamine worth almost $1 billion that were concealed in art sets and gel bras.
The Australian immigration officials found drugs after they inspected bra inserts that were shipped from Hong Kong. Authorities claimed that the drugs called "ice" or liquid methamphetamine were hidden inside the bras. During the drug bust operation, 190 liters of meths were confiscated. The search was followed by another raid by the officials where they collected another 530 liters of drugs covered in bottles of craft glue and painting sets, TIME claims.
"This is a devastating blow for the organized criminal gangs that peddle in ice and it shows you that if you do target the Australian market, we have the powers and the resources to prosecute you," Federal Justice Minister Michael Keenan said. He added Australians continue to be a huge market for criminal gangs selling meths
Four Hong Kong nationals, including three men and a woman involved in methamphetamine smuggling were caught by Australian authorities. The foreign nationals were arrested due to their importation and manufacturing of the prohibited drugs. They could face of up to life imprisonment since they smuggled a huge amount of methamphetamine, ABC Net reports.
"It's well-known that China is a very significant source country for methylamphetamine, not just here in Australia but around the world," said Australian Federal Police (AFP) State Manager NSW Commander Chris Sheehan.
Australia has been dealing with the problem of methamphetamine over the years. The drug can cause psychosis and long term psychological issues, according to CNN. The site adds that the drug is also associated with the growing cases of road deaths, thefts and violent attacks in the region. At present, methamphetamine has been readily available now in the areas where it wasn't that accessible earlier.
The drug methamphetamine is now regarded as the biggest problem in Australia affecting the peace and order of the country. So far, Australia is one of the nations with the highest methamphetamine users all across the world.
