Australian Customs Seize 270 Kg of Cocaine Worth $200 Million
Drugs Hidden inside Lawnmower Shipment from Brazil
Australian Customs and Police announced Friday the seizure of 270 kilogrammes of cocaine with an estimated value of $200 million. The items were hidden inside a shipment of lawnmowers from Brazil.
The confiscated drug is the largest cocaine seizure in Victoria and the fifth-largest in Australia.
The shipment arrived from Brazil Aug. 19 and was detected in Melbourne by X-rays and physical searches. The drugs were scattered in 29 boxes inside crates, hidden in vacuum sealed bags.
To catch the owner of the cocaine, the police delivered 60 kg to a Melbourne address. The sting operation led to the arrest of a 20-year-old Melbourne man and two Chinese nationals aged 33 and 35 and confiscation of $229,000 cash on Thursday.
The three were charged with importing and attempting to possess commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug. They are scheduled to appear Friday before the Melbourne Magistrates Court.