SYDNEY (XINHUA) – Australian Border Force (ABF) officers seized illicit drugs worth more than AUD182 million hidden inside a coffee bean shipment.
The illegal import, containing 200 kilogrammes (kg) of methamphetamine and 6kg of cocaine, was uncovered upon its arrival in Melbourne from Panama.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) said yesterday that it had launched a major investigation.
Earlier this week, the ABF officers in Melbourne x-rayed a full container load of coffee beans sent via sea cargo and saw anomalies.
Further examination identified substances that presumptively tested positive for methamphetamine and cocaine.
AFP said if this shipment of drugs had reached Australian streets, this amount of methamphetamine could have been sold for approximately two million street-level deals, while the cocaine could have been sold for approximately 30,000 street-level deals.
AFP National Anti-Gangs Squad Detective Superintendent Jason McArthur said the seizure demonstrated how drug smugglers attempt to use any product or means to bring drugs into Australia.
“The AFP’s investigations into the criminal syndicate involved remain ongoing,” he said.
