Quarter ton of crystal meth seized from Santa Rosa storage locker

Investigators seized hundreds of pounds of crystal methamphetamine in Santa Rosa and arrested three Australian men on drug charges, police said. Investigators seized hundreds of pounds of crystal methamphetamine in Santa Rosa and arrested three Australian men on drug charges, police said. Photo: Australian Federal Police Photo: Australian Federal Police Image 1 of / 28 Caption Close Quarter ton of crystal meth seized from Santa Rosa storage locker 1 / 28 Back to Gallery

Three Australians arrested in connection with the seizure of hundreds of pounds of crystal methamphetamine from a Santa Rosa storage locker planned to smuggle the drugs to the land down under in a small airplane, authorities said Wednesday.

Investigators seized more than 560 pounds of crystal meth in a joint investigation led by the Australian Federal Police and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Australian authorities said.

The drugs have a street value in the United States of about $204 million, according to Australian authorities.

The DEA first learned of the conspiracy in January, and conducted a search on an undisclosed Santa Rosa storage facility on June 15, finding hundreds of pounds of meth, police said.

Three suspects — ages 52, 58 and 72 — were all arrested in Australia in connection with the drugs, authorities said. The suspects’ names were not immediately released.

The 72-year-old suspect was busted at an airport in Melbourne, Australia, on July 5 with the light aircraft he planned to use to smuggle the drugs, according to police.

The investigation is ongoing.

Filipa Ioannou is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: fioannou@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @obioannoukenobi