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The methamphetamine was hidden inside tyres. Photo: AFP

Police find drugs worth A$200m in truck tyres shipped from China

AFP

Australian police have seized methamphetamine with a street value of A$200 million (HK$1.5 billion) concealed in the tyres of a truck shipped from China.

The 200kg bust was made at Port Melbourne with three men, two of them dock workers, arrested and facing a maximum of life in prison.

Police said the operation involved taskforces in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, with the shipment identified as high-risk ahead of its arrival from Shanghai on October 1.

"This seizure has prevented more than A$200 million of this substance from being on the streets of our towns and cities in Australia," Australian Federal Police Commander Scott Lee said.

He said methamphetamine - which is also known as crystal meth or Ice - was recognised as "one of the drivers of violence in our community and for recidivist offending".

Australian customs official Graham Krisohos said the truck was targeted after a tip-off.

"The concealment did show up on X-ray but what was unusual about the truck, if you just looked at it, literally nothing," he said. "I think that just indicates that the concealments are sophisticated and do require expertise and effort to actually uncover the substances."

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Police find drugs worth A$200m in truck tyres
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