More than one tonne of MDMA has been seized in a joint operation by Australian Federal Police (AFP), Australian Border Force (ABF) and the NSW Police Force.
In a joint statement, authorities said the MDMA was seized after ABF officers detected anomalies within a shipping container that arrived from South Korea on 11 January.
It said an examination by the ABF found a number of pallets laden with 648 plastic tubs labelled as tile adhesive.
Within 176 tubs of adhesive were bags of a powder that presumptively tested positive to the presence of MDMA.
Police said each tub contained approximately six kilograms of MDMA powder, with the total weight of the shipment confirmed at just over one tonne.
Acting Assistant Commissioner AFP Eastern Command, Justine Gough said the AFP and its domestic law enforcement partners were determined to reduce the significant harm that illegal drugs could cause to the Australian community.
“This seizure is one of the largest in Australian history and the MDMA powder, if pressed into tablets, could have produced more than three million tablets – it demonstrates the lengths that organised crime syndicates will go to in order to supply the Australia market,” A/Asst Commissioner Gough said.
Acting Commander Investigations ABF, Garry Low said the shipment was targeted as a result of intelligence from the Department of Home Affairs.
“ABF officers have sophisticated technology and unique skills at their disposal, which gives them the ability to identify illegal substances no matter how they are concealed,” A/Commander Low said.
He said five people, including two Canadian nationals, had been arrested in relation to the seizure.
“The AFP is working closely with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Korean authorities and other offshore partners to identify the source of the MDMA,” A/Asst Commissioner Gough said.
