Customs officers have seized a shipment of 4000 handbags hiding 30 kilograms of methamphetamine inside small silica gel sachets, worth an estimated street value of $30 million.

Photo: supplied

Each handbag had two to five silica gel packs, with approximately 3.6 grams of methamphetamine hidden in most packs.

Customs Investigations manager Maurice O'Brien said a large team spent a day-and-a-half opening and testing thousands of tiny meth-filled sachets.

He says the seizure showed criminals were going to great lengths to smuggle drugs into the country, but Customs is successfully updating its risk assessment and examination methods.