Police have discovered 300kg of a drug used to make ice hidden in highlighters in Sydney.
Ephedrine was allegedly smuggled into Sydney from China and discovered by police hidden inside 21,000 of the pens.
Three men aged 26, 27 and 24 were arrested and the 27-year-old was formally charged with importing commercial quantities of border controlled precursors.
Police have discovered 300kg of a drug smuggled into Sydney. A 27-year-old man was charged with drug smuggling
The drug was discovered by police hidden inside 21,000 highlight pens in a container carrying stationary supplies.
The other two men have been released while police continue to investigate.
Australian Border Force, working jointly with New South Wales Police, noticed abnomalies in a stationary shipment that arrived at Port Botany earlier this month.
The pens were pulled apart and tests confirmed they had been filled with ephedrine, which is used to make methamphetamine.
Some of the shipment was allowed to be delivered to premises in Sydney’s inner west under the watchful eyes of border force officers and NSW Police detectives.
Investigators executed a search warrant at a home at Glebe, where they seized items relevant to the investigation.
ABF Investigations Superintendent Garry Low described the highlighters as a ‘unique concealment method’ but said they can find drugs and precursors in almost anything.
Three men aged 26, 27 and 24 were arrested and a 27-year-old man was formally charged
Some of the shipment was allowed to be delivered to premises in Sydney’s inner west under the watchful eyes of border force officers and NSW Police detectives
‘(We) have made a significant dent in the availability of ice over the past 12 months, with the seizure of more than 2 tonnes of ephedrine at the border in NSW alone,’ he said.
‘We’ve recently invested heavily in upgrades to x-ray technology at our container examination facilities, including here in Sydney, allowing our officers to see further in to each container and detect even more sophisticated concealments.’
The 27-year-old man who was charged was refused bail and will appear at the Central Local Court on Wednesday.
Investigators executed a search warrant at a home at Glebe, where they seized items relevant to the investigation
Police warned drugs and precursors can be found anywhere but found highlighters and unusual place to conceal the drugs
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