(CNN) Four people have been arrested after allegedly trying to sneak 400 kilograms (880 lb) of methamphetamine into Australia in hundreds of bottles of Sriracha-branded hot sauce.

The boxes -- which were sent by freight from the United States to Sydney -- were declared as containing bottles of the chilli sauce, Australia's New South Wales (NSW) police said in a statement Thursday.

But testing by the Australian Border Force earlier this month found the bottles contained large amounts of meth, which has an estimated potential street value of over 300 million Australian dollars ($208 million). In Australia, the street drug is colloquially known as "ice."

"This has been a complex investigation and we know the methylamphetamine in this import was headed for a clandestine lab in the Sydney Metropolitan area for the extraction process to occur," State Crime Commander Stuart Smith said in a statement, using an alternative term for methamphetamine.

Sriracha is a popular hot sauce that's gained a cult following around the world.

The meth smuggled inside Sriracha bottles was destined for a Sydney drugs lab, police said.

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