Australia charges Mexican cartel-linked group with smuggling meth into Hong Kong, elsewhere

The three men were arrested as part of an international investigation that began last year after several shipments of drugs were seized

The cartel is alleged to have organised the shipment of 447kg of liquid methamphetamine and 120kg of cocaine that were seized in Hong Kong

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A suspect is taken into custody by the Australian Federal Police last week. Police said a Mexican crime syndicate sent 375kg of methamphetamine, also known as meth or Ice, in five shipments from April 2022 to February this year. Photo: Australian Federal Police via AP

Published: 12:32pm, 19 Jun 2023Updated: 12:54pm, 19 Jun 2023

Three men were charged in Sydney amid an investigation into a Mexican cartel suspected of importing hundreds of kilograms of methamphetamine into Australia, Hong Kong and New Zealand, Australian authorities said on Monday.

The three men, two US citizens and a Sydney resident, were charged with one count each of attempting to possess a commercial quantity of a controlled drug, namely methamphetamine.

The offence carries a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.

Recently seized cocaine is displayed by the Australian Federal Police earlier this month. Cocaine and meth shipments were found hidden inside plastic pallets and electrical transformers in Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Sydney and New Zealand. Photo: EPA-EFE

The were arrested as part of an international investigation which began when several shipments of methamphetamine and cocaine hidden in plastic pallets and electrical transformers were seized in Los Angeles, Sydney, Hong Kong and New Zealand in May 2022.

The Australian Federal Police said in a statement that the Mexican crime syndicate is alleged to have sent 375kg of methamphetamine, also known as meth or Ice, from Los Angeles to Sydney in five shipments from April 2022 to February 2023.

The Mexican cartel is also alleged to have organised the shipment of another 447kg of liquid methamphetamine and 120kg of cocaine hidden in shipments of electrical transformers which were seized in Hong Kong in February and March 2022.

A further 106 kilograms of meth was seized in New Zealand in February 2019.