Two charged after 490 kilograms of meth found inside car bonnets In Sydney

Two charged after 490 kilograms of meth found inside car bonnets In Sydney

Australian authorities have foiled an attempt to smuggle almost half a tonne of methamphetamine into Australia after the drugs were found hidden inside dozens of car bonnets.

Australian Border Force officers found more than $367 million worth of the drug ice inside a shipping container filled with car bonnets that arrived in Port Botany, Sydney from Malaysia on November 28.

Around 5000 packages, weighing 490kg in total, were allegedly stashed inside the skin of 71 bonnets.

The total estimated street value of the illicit drugs was $367,500,000.

Two men, aged 17 and 19, were arrested last week in relation to the shipment after federal police raided several properties across Granville, Rhodes and Penshurst.

Police will allege in court that the western Sydney teens were planning on receiving the shipment before passing it on to other members of the criminal syndicate responsible for the importation.

The Australian Federal Police are working with the Royal Malaysia Police to identify the source of the shipment, while also conducting further inquiries here to identify other members of the syndicate.

AFP Detective Acting Superintendent Kristie Cressy said this amount of methamphetamine would have had significant impact on the community.

“Had this drug seizure made its way to Australian streets, countless lives would have been affected,” Supt Cressy said.

“It could be users, health care workers that deal with drug issues each and every day, or the family that has been torn apart when deaths occur from illicit substance abuse.

“Police know better than most the heartbreaking impact of drugs like ice on our community. “In stopping almost half a tonne of these dangerous drugs reaching our streets, countless families and friends have been saved from being torn apart by illicit substance abuse”.

Both men were charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug and faced Parramatta Bail Court on Saturday.

The 17-year-old is due to face children’s court today, while the older man is expected to appear in Central Local Court on February 6.

ABF Regional Commander NSW, Danielle Yannopoulos, said the detection demonstrated the expertise of ABF officers in locating illicit drugs — no matter how sophisticated the concealment.

“Whether it be in car bonnets, clothing, meat mincing machines or even highlighters — our officers have seen it all, and they have sophisticated technology at their disposal to identify these illicit substances no matter how criminals try to hide them,” Commander Yannopoulos said.

“Methamphetamine, or ice, has a devastating effect on the community every single day — and the ABF will not stop working to identify and prosecute those involved in attempting to import it into Australia.”