(MENAFN- IANS)
Sydney, Aug 18 (IANS) Three men have been charged in Australia for allegedly importing nearly 750 kg of methamphetamine hidden in marble stone slabs, police said on Thursday.
Australian Border Force (ABF) officers found 748 kg of methylamphetamine concealed within marble stone in sea cargo containers which had arrived in Sydney from the United Arab Emirates last month,reports dpa news agency.
The drug, also known as meth or ice, has an estimated potential street value of A$675 million ($468 million), according to police.
New South Wales state police and the ABF said two men in their 20s and one in his 30s were subsequently charged with importing commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug and taking part in the supply of a large commercial quantity of a prohibited drug.
Police allege the drugs were imported by a criminal syndicate.
'We will be alleging the activities that these men undertook both before and after the fact indicate they were well schooled in what they were doing and aware of the risks of law enforcement,' New South Wales police's John Watson said.
'These syndicates have no regard for the safety of others and as we've seen this week; use any means necessary to create illicit wealth and fund further criminal enterprises.'
'The seizure is a message to all organised crime groups, that it doesn't matter how sophisticated your concealments are, our ABF officers will find it,' ABF Superintendent Joanne Yeats, Detained Goods Management, said.
--IANS
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