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Drug smugglers hid $106 million of crystal meth and cocaine in a sleek vintage Bentley

Aug 28, 2022, 22:55 IST
Insider
A vintage Bentley stuffed with $106 million worth of meth and cocaineAustralian Border Force
  • Australian police discovered $106 million of illicit drugs being transported in a vintage Bentley.
  • Border force agents examined the car to find it full of crystal meth and cocaine.
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An imported classic 1960 Bentley was used to smuggle $106 million of hard drugs into Australia, police said.

The vintage car, which arrived in Port Botany, Sydney, New South Wales, via sea cargo from Canada earlier this month, had 161kg of crystal meth (methamphetamine) and 30kg of cocaine hidden in its bodywork.

The class A drugs were identified when Australian Border Force agents x-rayed the sleek silver Bentley S2 as it arrived at the port, which identified anomalies.

$106 million worth of meth and cocaineAustralian Border Force

The x-rays revealed crystal meth stuffed behind the headlights, and the cocaine was discovered after the vehicle was partially dismantled.

The police then reassembled the car and let it continue its journey to the alleged drug traffickers' address, according to The Drive. As two men began to strip the luxury British-built automobile in the carport, police swooped, arresting two men, aged 22 and 23.

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Both men have been charged with importing commercial quantities of border-controlled drugs, dealing with property proceeds of crime, large commercial drug supply, and participating in criminal group activity.

As part of additional investigations, police later stopped a car traveling down a nearby highway. They discovered 2.2kg of crystal meth inside the vehicle and more than $758,000 in cash.

The male driver and a female passenger, 25, were arrested and charged.

All four of those charged have been refused bail.

Australia's booming crystal meth trade

Authorities found 2 tons of methamphetamine hidden in marble tiles shipped from the Middle East to Sydney, in photos released on August 26, 2022.New South Wales Police / Associated Press

The Bentley arrests were the second blow dealt by police to Australia's booming crystal meth trade.

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Authorities seized a record-breaking $1.1 billion of methamphetamine in a Syndey port last week, officials said, according to The Associated Press.

Officials said that two tonnes of crystal meth were hidden in marble tiles in more than a dozen containers in Port Botany. The containers had been shipped from the United Arab Emirates.

Australia is facing a crystal meth pandemic. It has the highest reported meth use per capita in the world, the BBC reported. More than one in 20 Australians – 1.2 million people – have used the drug.

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