A record 1.8-tonne shipment of ice likely came to Australia from the Middle East, police have said.
In the first of two high-profile drug busts announced this morning, NSW Police and the ABF said they had uncovered a shipment of more than $150 million worth of cocaine and ice stashed inside a vintage Bentley car.
The car, a 1960 Bentley S2, arrived at Port Botany in a shipping container from Canada earlier this month.
Two men, aged 20 and 23, were arrested in Rooty Hill in western Sydney yesterday as they were dismantling the car outside a home. and charged with drug offences.
Police found a large amount of meth hidden behind the headlights, and overall seized 161kg of meth and 30kg of cocaine concealed in the car.
A third man, aged 25, was also charged when he was pulled over in Ballina in northern NSW yesterday afternoon.
Commander Grant Taylor called it a “significant win” for law enforcement.
He estimated the Bentley would have been worth $60,000 – $160,000.
Police allegedly seized 2.2kg of ice and more than $1.1 million in cash.
All three men were refused bail and will appear in court later today.
In a separate investigation that started earlier this year, investigators examined a number of sea cargo containers that had arrived in Port Botany, finding 748kg of methylamphetamine hidden in marble slabs.
Three men, aged 24, 26, and 34, were arrested and remain before the courts.
Police today revealed they had also investigated extra containers that arrived in Port Botany last week, finding 1060kg of meth also hidden in marble slabs.
The overall 1800kg-plus ice shipment had an estimated street value of more than $1.6 billion.
NSW Police Detective Acting Chief Superintendent John Watson said the operation remained ongoing.
“These figures are staggering,” he said.
Nobody has yet been charged in connection with the second shipment.
Watson said the AFP would likely now focus its investigation overseas, with consignment details pointing to origins in the Middle East.
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