- Australian authorities seized two tons of methamphetamine last week, according to multiple reports.
- The methamphetamine was found in marble tiles that were shipped from the United Arab Emirates.
Australian police seized a record-breaking $1.1 billion of methamphetamine in a Sydney port last week, officials said, according to The Associated Press.
Two tonnes of methamphetamine, a drug also known as crystal meth, were found in marble tiles stored in more than a dozen containers in Port Botany, Sydney, officials said. The containers had been shipped from the United Arab Emirates.
The containers were supposed to be sent to a factory in western Sunday that had been specially set up to extract crystal meth from marble, Watson said. It is unclear how long the factory has been there.
The discovery is the biggest crystal meth bust in Australia's history, Police Detective Chief Supt. John Watson said, describing the quantity as "staggering," AP reported.
"This seizure will be felt for weeks to come by many high-, mid- and lower-level suppliers," Watson said about the discovery, according to AP.
Three men — 24, 26, and 34 — were arrested and charged after the discovery. They are believed to be a part of a syndicate with international links, officials said, according to the BBC.
The men, who have not been named, face potential life sentences in prison if convicted of drug trafficking. They have been refused bail.
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.
In an unrelated investigation, police seized over 330 pounds of meth from a vintage Bentley at the same Sydney port earlier this month, the Daily Mail reported.