KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian police will extend their cooperation to Australian authorities following the arrest of a Malaysian man on Thursday, accused of attempting to smuggle 450kg of heroin into Melbourne.
The drugs have an estimated street value of A$140 million (RM431.8 million).
In a brief statement, Bukit Aman Narcotics Crime Investigation Department said it is working with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) in their investigations.
AFP in a statement yesterday said the seizure is the largest heroin shipment ever detected in Australia after intercepting 450kg of it inside a container of tiles sent from Malaysia to Melbourne.
It also confirmed that a Malaysian man has been arrested following the joint AFP and Australian Border Force (ABF) operation.
The man was charged on Thursday with – importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, namely 451kg of heroin; and attempted possession of a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug.
He faces life imprisonment in Australia and is due to appear in court in January.
AFP said the heroin, which has an estimated street value of A$140 million, was detected in a sea freight container of ceramic tiles addressed to a Melbourne business.
The shipment arrived at the Port of Melbourne on September 29, where ABF officers examined the container and located packages with distinctive red heroin branding. Testing on the substance within those packages returned a presumptive result for heroin.
AFP investigators assessed a total of 1,290 packages containing heroin within the shipment. The total estimated weight of 451kg, which is about the same weight as a grand piano, makes it the largest onshore detection of heroin in Australia.
The heroin was removed from the shipment and the consignment was delivered to an industrial precinct near Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport on October 7.
On Friday, AFP investigators executed a number of search warrants on business and residential premises.
AFP acting assistant commissioner southern command Krissy Barrett said AFP has strong and enduring relationships with its international partners in the fight against drug trafficking.
“We have a strong relationship with the Royal Malaysian Police and in particular the Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department.
“We continue to work together in identifying and disrupting transnational organised crime syndicates that seek to harm both our nations and generate millions of dollars of profits from criminal activity.” – The Vibes, October 17, 2021
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