The authorities of Australia have snatched liquid methamphetamine worth over A$1 billion from a cargo of art supplies and silicon bras. According to the authorities, this is the biggest seizure in the history of the country's customs.
The officers arrested nationals of China and Hong Kong for importing nearly 720 litres of liquid methamphetamine, which is commonly known as ice. This operation utilized the information collected by Australian Federal Police in a joint enterprise with China's National Narcotics Control Commission, Sinema Blaze said quoting Michael Keenan, Federal Justice Minister.
On 14th January, the Australian authorities held a 33-year-old man of Hong Kong for supplying "push-up bras" to a Burwood storage plant. The officers found that the bras valued at about A$1.26 billion were concealed in glue bottles and bra inserts. Moreover, the officers noted that the man smuggled the drug from China. Last March, the Crime Commission of Australia said that nearly 1.3 million people in Australia have used the ice.
Keenan added that the incident marks a great day for law enforcement agencies of Australia and a gloomy day for the smugglers who targeted the Australian drug industry. The maximum penalty for these smugglers is life imprisonment.
In December 2015, the officers discovered 190 litres of liquid methamphetamine concealed inside a pack of gel bras in a cargo from Hong Kong, CNN said. In connection with this issue, the authorities arrested a Hong Kong man. The customs officers also found 530 litres of methamphetamine hidden in art supplies in a storage plant near Sydney and held two from Hong Kong nationals and one from China.
According to Chris Sheehan, AFP State Manager NSW Commander, China is the source nation for drugs like methamphetamine not only in Australia but also globally. Sheehan also added that with the help of Chinese authorities, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) could trace the stem of the smuggling unit outside the nation.
The seizure comes after the Australian Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, announced an A$300 million plan to stop the usage of ice in Australia subsequent to a report that the nation had more drug users than other countries in the world. There is an increase in the number of Australian drug users from 2007 to over 200,000 in 2013, The Telegraph said citing an official report.
The Australian government has been facing a chain of hurdles with the ice that is associated with road deaths, robberies and other violent activities. These drugs can create havocs and psychological problems for a long time, experts say. The drugs are available even among remote and regional societies where it was not prevalent previously.
The government under Malcolm Turnbull is working hard to eradicate this serious issue from the Australian soil and rescue the drug victims from being depleted. The AFP is working with foreign agencies to save its citizens.
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