SYDNEY, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Australian police arrested four men in Sydney on Thursday in relation to a massive 500 kilogram shipment of the drug methamphetamine which arrived in Australia in June.
Carrying an estimated street value of 263 million U.S. dollars, the drugs were concealed in a shipping container declared to customs as clothing, but which instead contained 500 packages of methamphetamine, known locally as ice.
Following an extensive joint investigation, Australian authorities arrested and charged the men, aged between 33 and 55 -- surprising one of the suspects in an impressive daylight arrest at a mall in the city's outer suburbs.
Subsequent searches also netted mobile phones, electronic devices, documentation, and more than 10,000 Australian dollars (7,000 U.S. dollars) cash.
"This has been a complex, multi-layered investigation by strike force investigators who have been relentless in their pursuit of dismantling this particular syndicate with international links," State Crime Commander, Acting Assistant Commissioner Stuart Smith said.
Australian Border Force Regional Investigations New South Wales Superintendent Garry Low said that Australian law enforcement will continue to coordinate with their international counterparts to help stem the flow of harmful narcotics into communities.
"Our approach at the border is multi-layered through highly-trained officers and sophisticated technologies," Low said.
"I'm proud of the work of our investigators and intelligence team, who all work tirelessly to stop these harmful substances from reaching the community and destroying lives," Low said.
