More than $500 million worth of methamphetamine hidden within toilet paper has been seized by police in Melbourne.
Australian Federal Police together with Victoria Police made the discovery after the toilet paper shipment arrived in Melbourne on board a cargo carrier from Malaysia on October 4.
Four men have since been arrested and charged over the illegal haul.
Police allegedly found 622 kilograms of methamphetamine in green and gold tea packages, each weighing 1kg, which were further concealed within a pallet of toilet paper.
The estimated value of the methamphetamine is $559.8 million, which is the equivalent of more than 6.2 million individual street deals, according to police.
Police arrested a 33-year-old Chinese national, and 32-year-old Hong Kong national at Melbourne Airport yesterday, after they allegedly attempted to board flights to leave Australia.
Officers arrested a 34-year-old Malaysian national at a property in Sunshine North, while a 33-year-old Chinese national was arrested in Box Hill.
Police executed search warrants at a warehouse at Sunshine North and a storage facility at South Melbourne, along with residential properties across the city, allegedly seizing evidence of the imports and electronic devices including mobile phones.
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AFP Commander Raegan Stewart said this was a “significant seizure”.
“The illicit drug supply chain is littered with harm and had this amount of methamphetamine made its way onto our streets, it would have spread through our suburbs, fueling more violence, crime and drug addiction,” she said.
“The AFP together with our Joint Organised Crime Taskforce partners will not stop. We will not stop working to track, identify and disrupt your criminal operations in order to keep Australians safe. And we will bring you to justice.”
The men have been charged with one count of attempting to possess a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drugs.
They are expected to face the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court today.
The offence carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
