Chinese Nationals Charged With Smuggling "Pink Cocaine" to Australia
Australia's federal police force has charged a group of Chinese nationals with attempting to import more than half a tonne of illegal drugs through the Port of Melbourne, disguised within a consignment of industrial goods. The shipment allegedly included a large quantity of "pink cocaine," a designer mixture of the club drug MDMA and the tranquilizer ketamine.
According to the Australian Federal Police, five men - four Chinese nationals and one Sydney resident - were arrested Wednesday in connection with the scheme. Three were charged with alleged involvement in smuggling the drug consignment into the country, and two were charged with possessing precursors for making methamphetamine.
The bust started last year when AFP authorities intercepted a cargo from Italy at the Port of Melbourne. Concealed inside a containerized shipment of galvanized hooks, they found 420 kilos of MDMA pills, 120 kilo blocks of a suspected drug mixture and 80 kilos of methamphetamine.
The mixed substance tested positive for MDMA and ketamine, consistent with the ingredients of a valuable designer drug sold as "Tusi" or "pink cocaine." Further testing is planned to determine the nature of the substance, which is a niche product and may be worth as much as $100,000 per kilo on the Australian market.
Taken altogether, the estimated street value of the combined shipment was in excess of US$70 million.
The shipment was seized and swapped with inert substitutes to mimic the appearance of the illicit import, and the consignment was allowed to continue delivery. The goods (and the fake drugs) were delivered to an address in Brooklyn, Australia; the police allege that the consignment was later taken and moved to a facility near Sydney.
“Importing nearly half a tonne of MDMA into Australia is a significant criminal endeavor and demonstrates the insatiable appetite for illicit drugs in our country, and the lucrative market through which organized criminals seek to earn significant profit," AFP Commander Raegan Stewart said in a statement.
The other two Chinese nationals were identified during the investigation of the drug smuggling scheme. They were arrested in Sydney on Wednesday, and were charged with possessing methamphetamine precursors. One of them faces an additional charge of allegedly interfering with access to electronic records during an investigation.