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| Australia police seize meth hidden in bras inserts | |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| Police in Sydney say they have seized methamphetamine with a street value of more than A$1bn ($700m; £500m), much of it hidden inside gel bra inserts. | |
| A Chinese man and three Hong Kong nationals are facing life in prison after the seizure. | A Chinese man and three Hong Kong nationals are facing life in prison after the seizure. |
| Authorities said the 720 litres (160 gallons) of liquid methamphetamine was sent from Hong Kong. | Authorities said the 720 litres (160 gallons) of liquid methamphetamine was sent from Hong Kong. |
| Justice Minister Michael Keenan said crime gangs had sought to profit from Australia's "lucrative ice market". | Justice Minister Michael Keenan said crime gangs had sought to profit from Australia's "lucrative ice market". |
| He said it was among the largest drug busts in the country's history. | He said it was among the largest drug busts in the country's history. |
| "Ice" is a street name for methamphetamine in Australia. | "Ice" is a street name for methamphetamine in Australia. |
| The liquid seized in Sydney could have made 500kg (1,100 pounds) of high-grade crystal meth, Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commander Chris Sheehan said. | The liquid seized in Sydney could have made 500kg (1,100 pounds) of high-grade crystal meth, Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commander Chris Sheehan said. |
| Mr Sheehan said the AFP worked closely with Chinese authorities as part of Taskforce Blaze, which cracks down on international methamphetamine trafficking syndicates. | Mr Sheehan said the AFP worked closely with Chinese authorities as part of Taskforce Blaze, which cracks down on international methamphetamine trafficking syndicates. |
| Mr Keenan said: "3.6 million individual hits of ice were taken off our streets with a street value of $1.26 billion". | |
| However, the A$1.26bn figure was questioned after Australian media noticed that police had changed the way they calculated the street value of the drug. | |
| The AFP uses figures from the Australian Crime Commission (ACC) to calculate the value of illicit drugs. While it had previously used mid-point figures from the ACC, an upper-range figure was used to calculate the value of this haul, broadcaster ABC reported. |