Brontekst bekijken van Australia Seizes 760m Of Meth In Its Largest Ever Bust

Australian police swooped on the gang after they transferred the meth from a boat that had just docked<br><br>Australia has seized more than Aus$1.0 billion (US$760 million) of methamphetamine  [http://www.mekongrustic.com mekong delta tour with homestay] in its biggest ever bust of the highly-addictive drug, police said on Friday.<br><br>Commonly known as "ice", the massive 1.2 tonne haul was intercepted after being offloaded from a boat, the Valkoista, which authorities believe came from China.<br><br>Australia has the world's highest per capita consumption of [https://www.biggerpockets.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&term=crystal crystal] meth and the country has become an increasingly attractive destination for drug-smugglers, with street prices soaring.<br><br>Much of the ice hitting its streets comes from China and the Golden Triangle region where the borders of Myanmar, Thailand and Laos meet.<br><br>Eight men, all Australian, were charged with either importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, or possessing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, and face life in jail.<br><br>The seizure capped a six-month investigation with Australian Federal Police Deputy Commissioner Leanne Close alleging the ringleaders had been taken out.<br><br>"It equates to probably about Aus$1.0 billion of border controlled drugs that are no longer going to be on the streets of Australia over the Christmas period," she said.<br><br>"Police will allege in court these men intended to distribute the drugs along the east coast of Australia."<br><br>The Valkoista arrived at the port of Geraldton in Western Australia in the early hours of Thursday morning.<br><br>The drugs were [http://ccmixter.org/api/query?datasource=uploads&search_type=all&sort=rank&search=allegedly%20offloaded&lic=by,sa,s,splus,pd,zero allegedly offloaded] into a white hire van before tactical response officers swooped in, arresting three men inside.<br><br>Simultaneously, they boarded the boat and detained three crew members, with two others arrested at a hotel in Perth.<br><br>Australia has the world's highest per capita consumption of crystal meth<br><br>An Australian Crime Commission report in 2015 found that while US$80 bought one gram of ice in China, the estimated 270,000 users in Australia had to pay US$500 for the same amount.<br><br>The previous biggest meth bust was 903-kilograms, found in Melbourne earlier this year.<br><br>Australia has identified China and India as key sources of the precursor chemicals needed to make ice, while China and Myanmar were notable manufacturers of the end product.<br><br>Photos of the raid released by Australian Federal Police showed the van stuffed with large sacks that were stamped with Chinese characters for animal feed.<br><br>In recent years law enforcement agencies across Asia keep making record busts but the seizures appear to have little effect on the sheer amount of ice hitting the streets.<br><br>In September, Canberra announced a new strategy to tackle the menace, involving reinforcing information-sharing arrangements with Interpol and Europol to better pinpoint organised crime groups.<br><br>It is also working more closely with counterpart law enforcement agencies in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the [http://www.mekongrustic.com mekong delta homestay] region of Southeast Asia to smash syndicates and follow money trails.