SYDNEY, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- An airline employee has been charged over his role in importing more than 100 million U.S. dollars worth of methylamphetamine into Australia, concealed in a shipping container, authorities said on Tuesday.
The 22-year-old airline customer service representative was arrested after boarding an international flight to Singapore at Melbourne International Airport on Sunday.
He has since been extradited back to Sydney and charged with facilitating the shipment of 200 kilograms of the narcotic known in Australia as "ice."
Australian Border Force officers uncovered the stash after receiving a tip off from New South Wales (NSW) State police regarding a shipping container which arrived from the United States.
Officers X-rayed the container and discovered several bags of the drug concealed in a 15-tonne commercial manufacturing machine.
Further inquiries led to the search of three Sydney properties where police seized 80g of heroin, 38g of magic mushrooms, 50g of MDMA, as well as numerous electronic devices and documentation.
NSW police State Crime Commander, Acting Assistant Commissioner Stuart Smith, said that the joint investigations disrupted the activities of an international criminal network.
"Our joint investigations have uncovered an international syndicate and we are arresting their facilitators to impact the top levels of the network," Smith said.
