Amazon meth haul bound for Australia, say US officials
Investigators have uncovered a major drugs stash believed to be linked to a shipping ring that uses tech giant Amazon to move narcotics across the world.
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Investigators have uncovered a major meth haul bound for Australia after busting a drug shipping ring that allegedly uses tech giant Amazon to move narcotics across the world.
In the latest drug bust, a meth haul concealed within decorative stones was found at Amazon’s San Diego hub in California.
A package labelled as a box of “ornamental stones” was found after a search warrant was issued at the Amazon Fulfillment Centre in San Diego, Forbes magazine reports.
The decorative stones, used for gardens and model railways, contained methamphetamine, US federal agents said.
It comes after News Corp Australia’s in-depth investigation into money laundering revealed Australia is the world’s most targeted drug location.
Forbes reports that Amazon and Homeland Security Investigations have uncovered at least five Amazon vendor accounts using the tech giant’s international shipping services to move meth across the world.
One package from a suspicious vendor account was intercepted on October 28 by Customs and Border Protection in Louisville, Kentucky, before it could make its way to its destination in Australia, Forbes reports.
The Australian-bound package contained over 5 kilograms of methamphetamine
Three days later, on Halloween, Amazon staff and federal agents in the US sate of Michigan inspected a parcel claiming to contain pre-owned slate stone for toy railways and garden pots. It contained nearly 6 kilograms of meth.
News Corp revealed last week that South American cartels have joined forces with Chinese operatives to smuggle in huge quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin.
US Drug Enforcement Administration agents say the uptick in drug running across the Pacific is reminiscent of Miami, 30 years ago.
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