Taiwanese arrested in Australia in drugs case (photo from New South Wales Police Facebook page). Taiwanese arrested in Australia in drugs case (photo from New South Wales Police Facebook page). (CNA photo)

TAIPEI (CNA) - Two Taiwanese nationals were arrested in Australia earlier this week in connection with a haul of 200 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, which has a street value of more than US$130 million, Australian media has reported.

The illegal drugs, commonly known as ice, are believed to have arrived in Sydney from Malaysia on a container ship on April 21, disguised as tea and concealed inside metal machinery, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

The two men, aged 22 and 29, were arrested along with a 22-year-old Chinese national near a warehouse in southwest Sydney on Wednesday, when they were trying to dismantle the apparatus, the newspaper said.

All three men, believed to have traveled to Australia for the sole purpose of receiving and distributing the drug shipment, have been charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of unlawfully imported border-controlled drugs, the paper said.

The origin of the drugs, which equate to around 2 million hits of ice, is yet to be determined, the report added. (By Y.F. Low)