Four British men are arrested in Australia and New Zealand over seizure of 'highest ever purity' MDMA worth £50m
- The haul of MDMA was of the highest purity ever recorded in Queensland state
- Australian police seized 1,670 pounds of drugs, enough to make 12 million pills
- The seized drugs have a street value of more than £50 million, say authorities
- Two Brits arrested in Australia while two others were arrested in New Zealand
Four British men have been arrested in Australia and New Zealand after police seized a record 1,670 lbs of potent MDMA with a street value of £50 million.
Authorities said the MDMA powder was the highest purity ever recorded in Queensland and could have made up to 12 million pills.
Two UK citizens were arrested in the state, a 51-year-old man and a 40-year-old man, as well as a 26-year-old Australian man.
Two other British men, aged 60 and 49, were arrested by police in New Zealand after 440 lbs of methamphetamine was seized last week as part of the same operation.
A 51-year-old Australian woman was arrested in New South Wales in connection with the seizure of approximately 108,000 Australian dollars (£61,000) in cash.
The six suspects were arrested as part of an investigation targeting a UK organised crime syndicate.
Queensland police officer arranges packets containing drugs after authorities seized 1,670 pounds of the 'highest purity' MDMA recorded in Queensland state
Police seized more the MDMA powder which they say has a potential street value of more than £50 million
The bust involved coordination between Australian, New Zealand and British authorities.
'Organised crime syndicates are making significant profit at the expense of our Australian community but more importantly they are placing our young people's health at risk,' Detective Superintendent Jon Wacker, of Queensland police, said in a statement.
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Police said the MDMA was to be sold in pill and capsule form.
'We believe the drug would have been diluted with other agents and had the potential to make between six and 12 million capsules,' Wacker added.
The UK's National Crime Agency was involved in the investigations, alongside police in Australia and New Zealand, the Australian Border Force, the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) and other agencies.
Four British men were arrested in Australia and New Zealand in an international drugs sting
The suspects were arrested as part of an investigation targeting a UK organised crime syndicate
Authorities estimate that Australians consume over 1.1 tonnes of MDMA each year.
Australian police in June seized a record 1.6 tonnes of methylamphetamine worth an estimated Aus$1.2 billion hidden in speakers after a shipment arrived in Melbourne.
The country has a growing problem with meth, known as 'ice', with a government report released last year showing Australia has proportionally more users than most nations.
Dr Katie Willis, from the ACIC, said it was estimated that more than 1.1 tonnes of MDMA is consumed in Australia each year.
'Removing 766kg of MDMA before it reaches our streets will have an immeasurable impact on the illicit MDMA market,' she said.
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