In this undated photo provided by the Australian Federal Police, packages containing methamphetamine are stacked in a warehouse in Melbourne, Australia. Australian police seized around 200 million Australian dollars ($190 million) worth of methamphetamine hidden in tires of a truck shipped from China, officials said Friday, Oct. 11, 2013. Three Melbourne men were arrested after officials found more than 200 kilograms (440 pounds) of the drug in a shipment from Shanghai that arrived in Melbourne on Oct. 1, the Australian Federal Police said. (AP Photo/Australian Federal Police, HO)
SYDNEY (AP) — Australian police seized around 200 million Australian dollars ($190 million) worth of methamphetamine hidden in the tires of a truck shipped from China, officials said Friday.
Three Melbourne men were arrested after officials found more than 200 kilograms (440 pounds) of the drug in a shipment from Shanghai that arrived in Melbourne on Oct. 1, the Australian Federal Police said.
“The concealment did show up on X-ray but what was unusual about the truck was when you just looked at it, nothing,” Australian Customs and Border Protection Service Victoria regional director Graham Krisohos said.
Two of the three men arrested were dock workers in Melbourne. The men face charges of importing and attempting to possess drugs and face a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.
Australian police have made a series of large drug busts in recent months. The country is becoming an increasingly lucrative market for international drug networks because of the strength of the local currency and resilience of the national economy compared to other wealthy nations.
