Crystal meth shipment worth £615million found stuffed in gel bra inserts

Four Chinese nationals, three of them from Hong Kong, have been charged over their alleged role in the importation and manufacture of 720 litres of the drug

Australian cops seized liquid methamphetamine - a dangerous drug known as 'ice' - worth £615million hidden inside gel bra inserts.

Four Chinese nationals, three of them from Hong Kong, have been charged over their alleged role in the importation and manufacture of 720 litres of the drug, which were hidden inside the 'chicken filets' and art supplies.

The drugs were seized at several locations in Sydney, including a shipping container sent from Hong Kong, authorities said.

"This is the largest seizure of liquid methamphetamine in Australia's history and one of the largest drug seizures in our country's history," Justice Minister Michael Keenan told reporters in Sydney.

Read more: Face of crystal meth: Woman was arrested over suspected drug lab

Getty Images Australian police have seized more than 712 million USD in crystal methamphetamine
Bust: The drugs were seized at several locations in Sydney

He said the seizure was the result of a joint investigation between Australian authorities and the Chinese National Narcotics Control Commission.

The haul was biggest in Australia since 2014, when police seized around $1.5 billion in ecstasy and methamphetamines imported from Europe.

The Australian government declared a crystal methamphetamine "epidemic" last year and launched a national taskforce to tackle the drug.

Getty Images Justice Minister Michael Keenan (2nd R) speaks at a press conference during a presentation of seized crystal methamphetamine concealed in packaging
Enforcement: The haul was biggest in Australia since 2014

Around 2.1 percent of Australians used methamphetamines or amphetamine drugs in the 2014, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, among the highest rates of illicit drug usage in the world.

China is the world's largest manufacturer of the chemical precursors necessary to make licit and illicit drugs, according to the UN office on Drugs and Crime.

It also struggles with high addiction rates, with 14 million drug addicts in 2014, according to the Chinese National Narcotics Control Commission.

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