A Melbourne man has been charged after allegedly being linked to the attempted importation of 132 litres of liquid methamphetamine concealed in bottles of washing detergent.
The British national, 28, was to face the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court last week, charged with the attempted possession and trafficking of a commercial quantity of methamphetamine.
A joint AFP and Victoria Police Major Drug Squad investigation – Operation Rainier/Enfield – began in January after Australian Border Force members detected anomalies in a consignment of pallets containing bottles labelled as ‘ultra concentrate detergent’.
Forensic testing on the consignment allegedly established that 21 of the 319 bottles contained liquid methamphetamine.
The total volume of the methamphetamine was determined to be 132 litres, which has an estimated street value of $30 million. Further forensic examination is ongoing to determine the purity of the seized drugs.
Police seized the bottles allegedly containing the illicit drugs and allowed the rest of the shipment to continue for delivery to a storage facility in Melbourne’s south east.
It will be alleged that during the execution of search warrants in the suburbs of Brighton, Bentleigh East and Dandenong; phones, electronic devices and a small quantity of MDMA and methamphetamines were seized.
The man was subsequently arrested and charged with:
n Attempting to possess a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, namely methamphetamine, contrary to the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth); and
n Trafficking a commercial quantity of methamphetamine contrary to the Drugs Poisons and Controlled Substances Act 1981 (VIC)