Aussie police seize half-ton of drugs

Australian Federal Police seized more than a half-ton of drugs with a street value estimated at $500 million and arrested seven people, officials said Tuesday. Police said the nearly 675 pounds of crystal methamphetamine seized was the largest crystal meth seizure in federal police history and the 555 pounds of heroin seized was the third-largest seizure, The Daily Telegraph in Sydney reported. Australian Federal Police also seized 13 pounds of methamphetamine from the residence of a 55-year-old Green Valley man, authorities said. Four Hong Kong nationals and three Sydney residents were arrested following the year-long operation sparked by a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent's tip. Officials said the operation's ringleader was among those arrested. The seven people arrested were charged with conspiracy to import methamphetamine and heroin and attempting to possess a commercial quantity of methamphetamine and heroin, police said. More arrests could be made. "This operation follows the AFP's most successful year in terms of drug seizures," Australian Federal Police Deputy Commissioner Operations Andrew Colvin said. "In the 2011-12 financial year, the AFP and its partner agencies seized almost 14 tons of illicit substances bound for drug distribution networks across Australia." The operation reinforced the importance of sharing intelligence and inter-agency cooperation, Customs and Border Protection Deputy Chief Executive Officer Mike Pezzullo said. "The information that Customs and Border Protection officers collected and analyzed ensured that the operation was able to identify syndicate members and prevent the shipment from reaching the streets," Pezzullo said. The drugs were found hidden in terracotta pots shipped to Australia and tracked to a warehouse in Sydney, Sky News Australia reported. "Countless lives would have been affected had this seizure made its way to Australian streets," Colvin told reporters in Sydney.