Australia: Cops Seize £154m Worth Of Drugs

A cocaine and methamphetamine haul worth £154m has been seized by police in Australia following a sting operation.

The drugs, which were shipped from China in a consignment of heavy machinery, were discovered after a "complex and protracted" two-year investigation.

Police said they conducted a series of raids on five locations in Sydney over the weekend and recovered 235kg of methamphetamine and 115kg of cocaine stashed in a steamroller.

Two men, a 33-year-old American and a Canadian aged 34, were arrested.

"At one location police recovered the road roller as well as 13 sports bags inside it," said Australian federal police assistant commissioner David Sharpe.

"In the bags we recovered 350kg of controlled substances."

The Canadian was remanded in custody when he appeared in court on Tuesday charged with a range of offences related to the importation of drugs.

The American suspect was due in court later on similar charges.

"We will allege that these are two significant figures in the syndicate and our inquiries are continuing in China, Canada, as well as our investigations continuing in Australia," Mr Sharpe added.

"But, let me tell you, these are significant players in an international crime syndicate that has targeted Australia."

The bust was the second major success for Australian police in a week.

They seized more than 200kg of cocaine from a yacht that washed up on a deserted island in the South Pacific with a badly decomposed body on board.

That case involved police in Tonga, the Cook Islands, Australia and the US Drug Enforcement Administration.