Sunday, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) said that border agents discovered approximately $1 billion worth of meth concealed in coconut water cartons destined for Australia.
The AFP reported that the consignment of coconut water included 1,9 tons of liquid meth, which was discovered on October 23 as a result of a cooperative effort by Australian and Hong Kong customs agents.
The medications’ wholesale worth is around $345 million, but their street value is $1.03 billion, according to an AFP statement.
The government agency referred to the amount as “record-breaking” without specifying which record had been broken. The AFP did not answer to Insider’s request for comment immediately.
The amphetamine was reportedly disguised as coconut water, as reported by the AFP.
Australian Federal Police and Hong Kong Customs and Excise are collaborating.
The agency stated that it had agents in Mexico who assisted in the identification of the package, which was intended to travel from Mexico to New South Wales through Hong Kong.
“This amount of meth could have been sold as almost 18 million street-level deals,” said AFP Detective Superintendent Patrick Gordon, a top officer in Mexico, according to the AFP’s announcement. As a result, the communities of New South Wales and Australia are safer.
The government calculated that it avoided around $471 million in public costs associated with drug-related harm, criminality, healthcare, and productivity loss.
Massive drug seizures including unique smuggling methods are not unusual for the Australian police. In August, Australian officials discovered two tons of crystal meth concealed in marble tiles sent from the United Arab Emirates, as well as $106 million worth of crystal meth concealed in a vintage Bentley.
In 2019, Australian authorities captured approximately $1 billion worth of meth trafficked in from Thailand concealed in stereo speakers.