Australian police said today they have seized methamphetamine with a street value of USD 189 million concealed in the tyres of a truck shipped from China.
The 200 kilogramme (440 pound) bust was made at Port Melbourne with three men, two of them dock workers, arrested and now facing a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Police said the operation involved taskforces in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane with the shipment identified as high-risk ahead of its arrival from Shanghai on October 1, following a tip-off. A factory and other properties in Melbourne were subsequently raided.
"This seizure has prevented more than Aus$200 million of this substance from being on the streets of our towns and cities in Australia," said Australian Federal Police Commander Scott Lee.
He said methamphetamine -- which is also known as crystal meth or "ice" -- was recognised as "one of the drivers of violence in our community and for recidivist offending".
"Through our combined commitment to combating this crime type, we are working across jurisdictions and borders to deal significant blows to crime syndicates," he added.
