FOUR British men have been arrested in Australia and New Zealand in an international drug sting that netted a record haul of potent MDMA, said Aussie police today.

Authorities seized 766kg of the “highest purity” MDMA, or more commonly known as ecstasy, recorded in Queensland state, with a conservative street value of A$90 million (RM255.5 million).

The bust involved coordination between Australian, New Zealand and British authorities, jointly seeking to “dismantle” an international crime syndicate.

“Organised crime syndicates are making a significant profit at the expense of our Australian community, but more importantly, they are placing our young people’s health at risk,” said detective superintendent Jon Wacker of Queensland police in a statement.

Police said the drugs were to be sold in pill and capsule form.

Two British men, aged 51 and 40, were arrested in Australia, along with a 26-year-old Queensland man. They face charges relating to drug possession and supply.

New Zealand police charged another two men from the UK, aged 60 and 49, after a bust of 200kg of methamphetamine last week.

A 51-year-old woman with connections to the syndicate was also arrested in Australia.

According to authorities’ estimate, Australians consume more than 1.1 tonnes of MDMA each year.

In June, police seized a record 1.6 tonnes of methylamphetamine, worth an estimated A$1.2 billion, hidden in speakers after a shipment arrived in Melbourne.

The country has a growing problem with meth, known as “ice”, with a government report released last year showing that Australia has proportionally more users than most nations. – AFP, August 14, 2019.