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Police in Australia have charged a 35-year-old Malaysian man over an attempt to import more than half a tonne of illegal drugs into the country.
The Malaysian national was arrested in Coffs Harbour, some 500km (310 miles) north of Sydney, on Monday, the Australian Federal Police said on Tuesday.
He is accused of being part of a plot to import 120kg (265lbs) of an illicit substance suspected to be “pink cocaine”, 421kg (928lbs) of MDMA pills and 80kg (176lbs) of methamphetamine in a shipment sent from Italy.
The MDMA pills had an estimated street value of about A$26 million (US$16.3 million), while the methamphetamine had an estimated street value close to A$74 million, the Australian Federal Police said.


Officers said that the Australian market for the drug cocktail known as pink cocaine, or Tusi, was “not well established”, but they estimated that it could be worth up to A$16.8 million.
The 35-year-old man is the sixth person to be charged in relation to the importation attempt. He has been charged with conspiracy to import and possess a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug, which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
In January, the Australian Federal Police charged two Chinese nationals and a Sydney man over the failed plot, while a further two Chinese nationals were charged over the alleged possession of precursor chemicals.
Australian authorities launched an investigation after finding the MDMA and methamphetamine in a shipment of galvanised hooks that arrived at the Port of Melbourne in July 2024.


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The 35-year-old Malaysian national is accused of being part of a plot to import a shipment of illegal drugs sent from Italy


The 35-year-old Malaysian national is accused of being part of a plot to import a shipment of illegal drugs sent from Italy.


Drugs

Crime

Malaysia

Malaysian man caught trying to smuggle ‘pink cocaine’ into Australia

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The 35-year-old Malaysian national is accused of being part of a plot to import a shipment of illegal drugs sent from Italy

The 35-year-old Malaysian national is accused of being part of a plot to import a shipment of illegal drugs sent from Italy