Police nab massive 275kg ice haul, biggest in Victoria this year
A STAGGERING haul of the drug ice worth some $275 million and weighing 275kg has been discovered in a major Victorian bust.
AN INTERNATIONAL crime syndicate that shipped $275 million worth of the lethal drug ice into Melbourne from Hong Kong has been smashed.
Seven Australian men and one Malaysian man were arrested after authorities found 275 individual packages of crystal methamphetamine — each weighing 1kg — under the floorboards of three shipping containers.
The Herald Sun understands authorities are investigating Victorian organised crime figures over possible links to the importation.
The operation, led by Victoria Police, Australian Border Force and Australian Federal Police, culminated in the bust last week after the containers were delivered to a Bayswater industrial estate.
Investigators at the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission alerted the ABF earlier this year after they became aware of the syndicate’s plan to ship the drugs into Melbourne.
On June 15 direct intelligence was received about the incoming shipment of ice. Four days later the massive stash arrived in Melbourne.
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ABF acting Assistant Commissioner Tim Fitzgerald told the Herald Sun: “It is a fantastic result.
“It is only organised crime that can get those volumes ... an international syndicate.
“Organised criminals will send their product where they think they can get the best value for money.
“We are seen as attractive because the prices we pay on the street are higher than most countries.”
The contents of the shipping containers were declared as metal pallets.
Once authorities discovered the drugs, the containers were delivered with investigators carrying out surveillance.
Search warrants were later executed in South Yarra, Braybrook, Bayswater, Brunswick, Box Hill and Glen Waverley and the eight men, aged between 24 and 34, were arrested.
“There will be some work ... with a view to identifying further syndicate members overseas,” Mr Fitzgerald said.
“There also will be ongoing investigations from a local perspective.”
Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Stephen Fontana said high demand for illicit substances in Australia remained a problem.
“I am so proud of the tireless work of our members but what we are looking at is an ever increasing demand for illicit drugs,’’ he said.
During the operation the AFP worked with Chinese authorities on Taskforce Blaze, which investigates criminal syndicates trafficking ice to Australia.
Three men were charged with commercial drug importation offences and five others with attempting to possess and trafficking a large commercial quantity of methylamphetamine.
The maximum penalty is life imprisonment.
Five men will face Melbourne Magistrates’ Court tomorrow and the others on October 6.
Originally published as Police nab massive 275kg ice haul, biggest in Victoria this year
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