SYDNEY, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- An Australian court sentenced two men to lengthy prison sentences on Tuesday, over a massive two ton shipment of drugs which they attempted to bring into the country, with an estimated street value of over 1 billion U.S. dollars.
One of the men will serve at least 11 years and six months behind bars, while the other will serve seven years for the huge shipment which was uncovered in Sydney in 2014 and remains one of Australia's largest ever drug hauls.
"Even if you knew nothing about drugs and importation, to be aware that the size of this importation involved 1.38 tons of pure MDMA and 630kg of pure methamphetamine would let you know this was an extraordinary amount of drugs imported into Australia," Judge John Pickering said in sentencing the men, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
"If one tries to review ... first instances judgements you will struggle to find a similar type of case that will involve this amount of drugs," Pickering said.
The men pleaded guilty to importing the drugs, which prompted a reduced sentence, while four other men who were charged over the crime pleaded not guilty.
One of those who was an executive at the shipping company where the container was accessed, and was cleared by the court.
Two others are currently awaiting sentencing and a fourth will undergo a retrial next year after the jury failed to reach a verdict.
