Aussie police seize record $955m worth of drugs hidden in floorboards

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Australian police seize largest ever haul of the drug methamphetamine in Melbourne with an estimated street value of US$679.7 million (S$953.4 million).
Australian police (left) displaying packs of crystal methamphetamine, or Ice, yesterday after removing the drug from planks of wood (above) at a warehouse in Victoria state, in Australia's biggest bust of the party drug with an estimated street value
Australian police (above) displaying packs of crystal methamphetamine, or Ice, yesterday after removing the drug from planks of wood at a warehouse in Victoria state, in Australia's biggest bust of the party drug with an estimated street value of A$900 million (S$955 million). PHOTOS: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, EUROPEAN PRESSPHOTO AGENCY
Australian police (left) displaying packs of crystal methamphetamine, or Ice, yesterday after removing the drug from planks of wood (above) at a warehouse in Victoria state, in Australia's biggest bust of the party drug with an estimated street value
Australian police displaying packs of crystal methamphetamine, or Ice, yesterday after removing the drug from planks of wood (above) at a warehouse in Victoria state, in Australia's biggest bust of the party drug with an estimated street value of A$900 million (S$955 million). PHOTOS: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, EUROPEAN PRESSPHOTO AGENCY

Australian police displaying packs of crystal methamphetamine, or Ice, yesterday after removing the drug from planks of wood at a warehouse in Victoria state, in Australia's biggest bust of the party drug with an estimated street value of A$900 million (S$955 million). Two men were arrested and charged with trafficking after the discovery of 903kg of Ice hidden in 70 boxes of floorboards shipped from China at the warehouse in the Victoria suburb of Nunawading. The bust, following a two-month operation, comes less than a week after the authorities arrested three Vietnamese nationals in Melbourne and seized 300kg of Ice hidden in metal gates. With its high street prices, Australia is an attractive destination for drug smugglers. A kilogramme of Ice can reportedly sell for 80 times the price it is bought for in China.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on April 06, 2017, with the headline Aussie police seize record $955m worth of drugs hidden in floorboards. Subscribe