Australian police say they have busted a major drug ring after seizing a record haul of methamphetamine and heroin worth $526 million (500 million Australian dollars) that was stuffed into terra cotta pots.
More than 674 pounds of crystal methamphetamine and 555 pounds of heroin were seized as part of an operation that began a year ago when the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration tipped off officials that an international crime syndicate was planning to import drugs to Australia. Police targeted two massive cargo containers containing 3,200 terra cotta pots coming from Thailand.
X-rays of the containers showed what was probably drugs heavily packed into 100 pots, officials said Tuesday in Australia.
The pots were sealed with a putty-like substance to conceal the drugs, officials said.
"The actual concealment itself wasn't particularly sophisticated: terra cotta pots concealed in bulk on pallets within cardboard boxes and then shrink-wrapped," said Mike Pezzullo of the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service.
Officials from the two investigating agencies in Australia said it was the largest seizure of methamphetamine in the country's history and the third largest of heroin.
Australian Federal Police Deputy Commissioner of Operations Andrew Colvin said that through the course of the investigation, authorities kept close watch on suspects as they tracked the shipment.
Four suspects from Hong Kong and three Australians were arrested as part of the operation, the Australian Federal Police and Australian Customs and Border Protection Service announced. The men face a maximum penalty of life in prison on charges of possession or attempting to possess commercial quantities of methamphetamine or heroin.
“This operation follows the AFP’s most successful year in terms of drug seizures," Colvin said in a news release. “In the 2011/12 financial year, the AFP and its partner agencies seized almost 14 tons of illicit substances bound for drug distribution networks across Australia."
Colvin said that was in large part due to the collaboration between international intelligence groups.
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
| Advertising practices | Advertise with us | About us | Work for us | Help
Sounds like someone speaking from experience...
Damn, there goes Christmas.
Just imagine the chemical pollution that came from the manufacture of 674 pounds of meth. Imagine the condition of the people who made it.
Legalize it all. If someone wants to mess up their own life because they over indulge in any given thing, that is their right. We don't keep fatty/high calorie foods out of the mouths of overweight people do we? Nearly all of my friends who do hard drugs are absolutely normal members of society. It is recreational for them. They have their fun on the weekend, then go back to work during the week.
Hmmm, I'm all for legalizing herg, but meth is a WHOLE different ball game there cap. The risk of this getting in the hands of ignorant and gullible kids is just too high to have this crap floating around.
Glad they intercepted these lowlifes... even though, it's just a small part of the big picture.
I HOPE you're wrong. Sure, half a billion might not be anywhere close to the majority of the drugs going into Australia, but it sure better be an appreciable percentage of the meth and heroin for the year.
Good job in finding that mess. At least some lives will be saved because those drugs were found. Someone won't get hooked on it, get killed over it or killed by it. Someone didn't get introduced to it or just may decide to live a drug-free life just because this batch of dope was not available at a certain time.
It's too bad there's consenting adults who can't get their fix out there now. I would hate for them to make decisions for me, so let's not make decisions for them.
Except for the guys who lost all of the product. They can look forward to having their skulls cracked in by their drug overlords, how lucky for them.
The poor addicts will still find what they need...:(
/applaud
The pot heads are loving this story because they claim that people wouldn't abuse cocaine, meth, or heroin, etc. if pot was legal, or cheaper, or free, or whatever. They can't stand the idea of living one day sober and believe that everybody needs to be stoned all the time – just like they are. The Tea Baggers are loving this story because they will blame Obama for all drug abuse in this country and in the world and say that the Democrats are proponents of this behavior. As an American, I want to get high with patriotic gasoline, automatic weapons, and cheap, foreign-made electronics. Don't mess with me or I WILL stand my ground. Derp.
@Susan.....HUH??????
You said all that for nothing!
you are awesome I'm
Praying you have a twitter follow me @SwaggZillla (3L's)
You need professional help.
Well done, DEA and Australian Police! Thank you.
Did they catch Walter White?
Better Call Saul
Yeah...and that doesn't not even register on the "legal" Oxy and Methadone addiction radar
14 tons seized in most successful year ever
What they don't tell you – 14trillion tons get though
Good! Some republican is out of business. If they were smight like Mitt Robme, they would have hid the heroin where he hid his tax returns!
Our DEA should learn from them. Bust drug rings that produce harmful drugs. meth & heroin off the streets is GREAT. Now leave us friendly cannabis folks (over half the usa) ALONE and go bust some REAL criminals.