Image Credit: Australian Federal Police
A joint operation between the Australian Border Patrol and Australian Federal Police has netted 450 kg of heroin from a freight container ship bound to Melbourne. The finding is one of the largest onshore hauls of the banned drug in Australia.
The drugs shipment is estimated at $140 million in street value. Police say the drugs, which amounted to around 1290 packages, were addressed to a business in Melbourne and are investigating into the source. A Malaysian national has already been arrested in the case. On October 14 he was charged with import a commercial quantity of a border controlled drugs and attempted possession of a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug.
Nigel Ryan, a top security official in Australia has also warned that organised crime syndicates have infiltrated security systems. Australian law enforcement, working with the FBI in a joint operation known as 'Ironside' had earlier exposed an alleged drugs smuggling ring centred around Sydney airport which led to the charging of six serving and former Australian employees of the Dubai National Air Travel Agency.