The Australian Border Force–along with the NSW Organised Crime Squad–intercepted a whopping 880 pounds of meth hidden throughout 768 bottles of Sriracha hot sauce that was headed to Sydney from the United States last month.
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According to reports from 7News, the Australian Border Force took the shipment in for further testing after noticing some “inconsistencies” in the shipment.
Three men ended up being arrested in connection with the alleged meth smuggling while a fourth suspect was detained Thursday morning. Two of the men were found with eight boxes of Sriracha bottles, box cutters, moving bags, and gardening gloves in their vehicle. Another 26 boxes of the hot sauce was recovered in a hotel suite.
Matt O’Connor, acting ABF regional commander for New South Wales, gave a warning to anyone thinking of conducting similar crimes: “This detection should serve as a warning to criminal groups that no matter how clever you think you are being in the way that you attempt to conceal and move your drugs, our officers have the skills, technology and the resources to find them and track down the people who are attempting to bring them in.”
All-in-all, the huge shipment of meth is said to be worth an estimated $208 million, which is roughly four million doses of the drug.
As of now, the first three men arrested have been charged with “attempt to possess a commercial quantity unlawful import: border-controlled drug and large commercial drug supply.” No bail has been set and their next court date is in December. As for the fourth, he was granted conditional bail and will return to court on November 28.
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