In a joint operation with Chinese authorities, Australian law enforcement agencies have seized $900 million worth of liquid methylamphetamine smuggled in boxes of silicone bra inserts and art supplies in the country’s largest haul of illicit drugs in years, officials said on Monday.
Four Chinese nationals, of whom three were carrying Hong Kong passports, were arrested in Sydney over their alleged role in importing and manufacturing 190 gallons of the drug, also known in Australia as "ice," according to the Associated Press.
The liquid could have made around 1,100 pounds of high-grade crystal meth, Australian Federal Police Commander Chris Sheehan said. 4.4 pounds of the drug in crystal form were also seized by authorities.
The drugs were discovered at several locations in the Australian capital, including a shipping container sent from Hong Kong.
"This is the largest seizure of liquid methamphetamine in Australia's history and one of the largest drug seizures in our country's history," Justice Minister Michael Keenan told reporters in Sydney.
Keenan said the operation used information gathered through cooperation between the Australian Federal Police and China's National Narcotics Control Commission.
The Australian and Chinese agencies established a task force in November to investigate criminal syndicates smuggling methamphetamine between the two countries.
"This largest seizure of liquid methylamphetamine to date is the result of organized criminals targeting the lucrative Australian ice market from offshore," Keenan said. "This has resulted in 3.6 million individual hits of ice being taken off our streets."
The four suspects are set to appear in court next month over charges of importing and manufacturing commercial quantities of illegal drugs. If convicted, each suspect faces life in prison.
"We are alleging that the people we have arrested weren't just mere bit-players, they were significant players within this criminal network," said Sheehan.
The raid comes months after the Australian government, led by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, announced a AU$300 million strategy to combat the growing use of ice following government reports indicating Australia had proportionally more users of the drug than most countries.
The report showed that the use of the drug has doubled since 2007 to more than 200,000 people in 2013.
According to an Australian Crime Commission report published in 2015, 1 gram of ice in China costs $80, while users in Australia had to pay $500 for the same amount.