AN international investigation led to Australia's largest seizure of the "most hideous, insidious" drug ice and the arrest of three men in Sydney yesterday.
A joint taskforce involving the Australian Federal Police, NSW Police, Australian Customs and Border Protection, the NSW Crime Commission and the Australian Crime Commission began investigating after a member of the public phoned to alert local police to suspicious activity at a storage facility in West Ryde in September last year.
AFP Commissioner Tony Negus said he was proud of the police efforts that led to the discovery of methamphetamine, worth more than $438 million on the street.
"This 585-kilo haul is the largest seizure of ice in Australia's history, almost doubling the previous record of 300kg, which was seized here in Sydney as well in July last year," Mr Negus said.
"A number of suspicious container arrivals into Sydney were monitored by police and Customs over several months leading to the ice being discovered on the 22 February this year in a container from Shenzhen in southern China."
The drugs were hidden among one-tonne bags of chemicals used in cleaning products.
Police will allege the international syndicate trialled "a number of dry runs" to test the procedures of police and Customs.
NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said this was an "important victory" for the community.
"One phone call was the one thread that allowed us to pull and unravel a syndicate forever," he said.
"This is a hideous, insidious drug, the sort of drug that sends people mad, the one drug that sends people stark raving crazy."
Three men were arrested yesterday when they went to a warehouse in Regents Park and allegedly removed what they thought were the drugs.
A 32-year-old man from Singapore, a 51-year-old man from Hong Kong and a 21-year-old man from Canley Heights in Sydney have been charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of drugs and will appear in Central Local Court in Sydney this morning. The charge carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Authorities continue to work with their Chinese counterparts and Mr Negus said more arrests were likely.
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