Five people have been arrested over the attempted smuggling of 448 kg of the drug MDMA from Britain into Australia, with the drugs concealed in an excavator, authorities said Friday.

Customs officials uncovered the shipment back in March after x-rays of the machine revealed anomalies within the arm, with further examinations revealing 226 plastic bags of a crystalline substance.

Forensic analysis revealed the bags contained 448 kg of the drug MDMA, also known as ecstasy, with a street value of roughly 79 million Australian dollars (59.7 million U.S. dollars).

Three men aged between 50 and 60 were arrested in London in June and charged with conspiring to export a Class A drug.

Recently officers went through with controlled delivery of the excavator to an address in Sydney, prompting raids on several properties on Wednesday during which two men, aged 33 and 42 were arrested.

They were both charged with attempting to possess commercial quantities of border controlled drugs, an offense that carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

"Organized crime groups seek to move illicit goods in bulk whenever they can and however they can. In this case, they thought that hiding the drugs in machinery would be innocuous enough to avoid detection by Australian authorities," AFP Assistant Commissioner Southern Command, Bruce Giles said.

"To people who think MDMA may just be a part of the party scene, remember this -- it is a powerful, addictive stimulant, which is not regulated and which makes its way to Australia through a chain of violence. Every time you use it, you line the pockets of organized crime."

Source:
courtesy of XINHUA NEWS AGENCY

by XINHUA NEWS AGENCY

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