The Herald Sun reported on June 29 that two Melbourne men were sentenced to 16 and 17 years in prison respectively for masterminding a $97 million methamphetamine smuggling case.
The drug was concealed in a coconut milk jar in an attempt to be brought into Australia.
The two men pleaded guilty to attempting to smuggle 488 kilograms of methamphetamine into Australia from Thailand and Malaysia in a Melbourne County Court on Friday.
In August 2020, they tried to import 600 litres of liquid methamphetamine from Thailand, which was hidden in hundreds of coconut milk cans and shipped to Sydney.
Just a month later, border forces seized another 160.3 kilograms of pure methamphetamine hidden in four large air compressors shipped from Malaysia.
The Federal Police and Border Force jointly launched this major operation, identifying a Melbourne-based criminal syndicate responsible for receiving and distributing the drugs.
Federal authorities revealed that this criminal group created 20 legal companies and posed as representatives of these companies in order to cooperate with freight companies to order the delivery of drug consignments on demand.
However, intelligence obtained during the joint investigation led to the arrest of two men in Ravenhall and one woman in Aintree in November 2020.
During these searches, police seized mobile phones, bank cards, fake identity documents, $682,000 in illegal cash, 90 grams of pure cocaine and 929 grams of 1,4-butanediol.
On Friday, the man in Aintree was sentenced to 16 years in prison with 11 years on non-parole by a Melbourne County Court.
In addition, a Melbourne man was sentenced to 17 years in prison with a non-parole period of 11 years.
A 36-year-old woman pleaded guilty to helping the criminal organisation on Thursday and was sentenced to two years in prison, but was released on $1,000 bail and good behaviour for three years.
Separately, a Sydney man was sentenced to six years in prison for trying to remove 288 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden in a coconut milk jar.
Australian Federal Police Inspector Simone Butcher said the successful seizure of nearly 500 kilograms of methamphetamine was due to the efforts of investigators.
"The illegal drug supply chain is fraught with harm, and if 488 kilograms of methamphetamine flow into our streets, it will spread to our communities, contributing to more violence, crime and drug addiction," Butcher said.
"Methamphetamine accounts for 8% of all drug-related hospitalisations in Australia."
"Friday's verdict marks an important outcome for investigators who are working to stop the massive amount of drugs from entering our communities, and I want to thank them for their remarkable efforts."
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