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Australian police - Source: Reuters
More than 73kg of illegal drugs hidden in items including
children's toys and nappies have been seized and 22 people arrested
during a week-long operation targeting Australia's mail
system.
Three men have also been arrested in South America, charged with
allegedly mailing cocaine to Sydney over a six-month period.
The joint operation between the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and
Australian Customs and Border Protection Service (ACPBS) has led to
the seizure of 145 parcels nationwide since Monday, police
said.
Drugs were found in children's soft toys, nappies and books, among
other items, AFP Assistant Commissioner Kevin Zuccato (Zuccato)
told reporters in Sydney on Friday.
"I think what this demonstrates across the board is just how
insidious organised crime is and the callousness of these
individuals who would choose to hide narcotics in kids' toys and
possibly put kids at risk," Zuccato said.
A total of 22 men have been arrested in Australia.
They include 10 in NSW aged between 20 and 46, 10 in Victoria aged
20 to 36, and four men in Queensland aged between 22 and 35.
Charges are yet to be laid against the men.
The drug 4-MMC, known as "miaow", accounted for nearly a third of
the seizures.
The drug is legal in some countries, such as the UK, but it is
illegal to buy or import into Australia.
"It is a dangerous drug, no question about it, and there have been
dangerous deaths linked to miaow," Zuccato said.
The AFP worked with international authorities to dismantle a drug
mailing operation in Peru and Colombia.
A 60-year-old man has been arrested in Colombia and two men, aged
55 and 25, have been arrested in Peru in connection with the
operation.
Three packages each containing 300g of cocaine were intercepted in
Sydney between August and December 2009, while two packages bound
for Sydney, also containing 300g of cocaine, were seized by
Peruvian authorities.
Other items seized included firearms, fake driver's licences and
passports, counterfeit DVDs and CDs, and $152,000 in cash.
"This is about demonstrating to those people who want to bring
narcotics into our country, whether it's in envelopes, whether it's
in packages, containers, strapped to people's bodies or inside
them, we are on the job and we are waiting for them," Zuccato
said.
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