Melbourne drug bust: $16.9m ice shipment seized

A 150kg shipment of the drug ice has been seized after arriving from Mexico, with two men arrested in Victoria.

More than 150 kilograms of methamphetamine, worth an estimated $16 million dollars, had allegedly been sent from Mexico into Australia. Picture: AFP

A 150 kilogram shipment of the drug ice has been seized after arriving from Mexico, with two men arrested in Victoria over their alleged involvement.

As part of work done with the Indian Narcotics Control Bureau and other overseas law enforcement agencies, Australian authorities discovered the drugs, worth $16.9 million and found inside a shipment of silver concentrate, inside a shipping container that arrived from Mexico last month.

A 26-year-old Canadian-French dual national has been charged in relation to the alleged import.

A 26-year-old Canadian-French dual national was arrested in Melbourne on Saturday night after allegedly importing the drugs.

Police from the Victorian Joint Organised Crime Task Force also charged a Sydney man, aged 34, with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of drugs.

He had been arrested near the Victorian town of Seymour on Saturday afternoon.

Australian Federal Police acting assistant commissioner Bruce Giles said Australia would continue to work with overseas law enforcement agencies to keep such dangerous drugs off the streets.

“Together, the JOCTF has prevented 154 kilograms of illicit drugs from reaching the community and causing considerable harm, while also simultaneously dismantling and disrupting the work of an organised crime syndicate,” he said.

Victoria Police crime command assistant commissioner Tess Walsh said the arrests were a significant win for both police and the Victorian public.

“Every day police see first-hand both the physical and health impacts of drugs on users, but also the immense damage to the broader community done by the trafficking of these illicit substances,” she said.

“We know that drugs contribute to a wide range of other serious criminal offending.

“It’s incredibly pleasing that we’ve been able to work in co-operation with our federal partners to stop over 150kg of methamphetamines reaching our local community.

“It also highlights the fact that drugs and organised crime are not just Victorian issues – they cross borders and we make no apology for targeting those who seek to bring that harm here.”

The drugs were found inside 19 tonnes of silver concentrate, and Australian Border Force regional commander Craig Palmer said its discovery showed that “concealment attempts like this are no match for ABF’s sophisticated technology and our highly trained officers.”

“We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to detect, seize and prosecute those who choose to engage this type of criminal activity,” he said.