Taiwanese arrested in Australia over alleged drug-smuggling

[KangTao]

Taiwanese arrested in Australia over alleged drug-smuggling

Central News Agency
2014-02-12 07:35 PM

Taipei, Feb. 12 (CNA) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed Wednesday that four Taiwanese nationals have been arrested in Australia on charges of smuggling drugs and possessing large amounts of narcotics.

"Our representative office in Sydney has contacted the police there to learn more about the case," ministry spokeswoman Anna Kao said. As the investigation continues, Kao said, officials at the representative office will continue to stay in contact with Australian law enforcement authorities to keep on top of the situation and offer assistance to the Taiwanese nationals if necessary.

Five people were arrested, including the four Taiwanese, following the execution of four search warrants a day earlier in the Sydney suburbs of Hillsdale, Kensington, Greenwich and the Sydney Central Business District, according to a joint statement issued by the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service.

The 183-kilogram haul was discovered during a joint operation by police and border officers at Sydney's container port, the statement said. Border officers selected a container for X-ray inspection, which revealed that 19 of a shipment of 27 kayaks contained packages of methamphetamine, the statement said.

The police subsequently arrested three men and one woman -- all Taiwanese -- after they allegedly accessed the kayaks to retrieve the drugs, according to the statement. Further investigations also resulted in the arrest of an Australian man at his Kensington residence, the statement said.

The 32 year-old Kensington man and a 28-year-old Taiwanese woman were each charged with one count of attempting to import a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug, while the three Taiwanese men -- aged 35, 30 and 21 -- were each charged with one count of possessing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug, the statement said.

The maximum penalty for these offenses is life imprisonment, the statement said.

(By Elaine Hou)

 

[KangTao]

Australia busts five over HK$1.3b meth hidden in kayaks from China

US$183m haul of illegal stimulant also known as Ice found in kayak cargo

PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 12 February, 2014, 9:56am
UPDATED : Thursday, 13 February, 2014, 10:01am

Bryan Harris [email protected]

An Australian customs officer (left) and a federal police officer inspect one of the 27 kayaks seized after authorities found metamphetamine stashed in the shipment. Photo: AFP

Authorities in Australia have intercepted a 183kg shipment of methamphetamine from China in the latest in a series of busts that have heightened fears over the illicit drugs trade between the two nations.

Worth about US$183 million on the street, the drugs were found after an X-ray inspection of a consignment of kayaks at a container port in Sydney, police said yesterday.

Four Taiwanese were arrested while trying to collect the substance following a controlled delivery by the police to a storage centre. An Australian man was also arrested at his home.

Commonly known as Ice, meth is one of the most popular drugs in Australia, with a United Nations study last year suggesting that more 2 per cent of Australians use the highly addictive stimulant.

Only the Marshall Islands and the Philippines have higher usage rates in the region.

"It's not the biggest or the smallest, but 180kg is certainly a sizeable shipment to intercept," a spokesman for the Australian Federal Police said.

"It equates to about 180,000 hits of meth," added the spokesman, acknowledging the drug's "ongoing" impact on society.

Both Australian customs and police declined to name the port of origin, saying it could jeopardise future targeting.

However, according to UN data, most major shipments of methamphetamine to Australia originate in Guangdong, where mainland and Hong Kong organised crime groups dominate the illicit drugs market.

In the last 14 months, Australian authorities seized more than 1,000kg of meth in liquid and crystal form, with much of it coming from Hong Kong and the mainland.

Two Hongkongers were arrested last May after attempting to smuggle US$42 million of meth into Sydney disguised as shampoo and hair products.

Another Hongkonger, Cheung Tuen, was arrested in April while attempting to bring 585kg of meth into Sydney via Shenzhen and Hong Kong.

Hong Kong's triads are also known to export the controlled chemicals - such as ephedrine and pseudoephedrine - needed to manufacture meth.

The syndicates take advantage of lax controls in China's chemical industry to re-route the materials to meth manufacturing centres both regionally and globally.

Australian authorities declined to comment on the involvement of organised crime groups in the latest bust.

However, a UN report last year on emerging drug trends in Australia highlighted the role of domestic and transnational organised crime groups in smuggling meth and its precursor chemicals into the country.

Additional reporting by Andrea Chen