New Zealand women allegedly smuggled 38kg of meth under towels

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Bags of methamphetamine are seen packed tightly into a suitcase under a pink towel at the Sydney Airport.

Bags of methamphetamine seen packed tightly into a suitcase under a pink towel at Sydney Airport.

PHOTO: AFP

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- Some drug traffickers use intricate contraptions to hide their contraband, but two New Zealand women allegedly opted for something a bit simpler – hiding 38kg of meth under just a small layer of towels.

The pair were stopped for a baggage inspection coming into Sydney on a flight from Singapore in December, Australia’s Border Force and Federal Police said this week.

“Upon inspecting the women’s luggage, ABF officers allegedly located dozens of vacuum sealed bags of a crystallised substance, concealed underneath a small layer of towels,” police said.

Testing revealed the substance was methamphetamine, they added.

A spokesman for Australia’s Federal Police told AFP the drugs had an estimated street value of A$35.2 million (S$31.6 million).

Images shared by the twin police agencies showed methamphetamine packed tightly into a suitcase under a pink towel.

In another video, the drugs are barely concealed by the towel, falling out of the suitcase the moment a border officer unzips it.

The two women faced court on March 4 in Sydney and were charged with importing a commercial quantity of an illegal drug, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. AFP

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