They could have been making happy sausages

Nearly half a ton of MDMA (Ecstasy) that was concealed in four industrial mincing machines has been seized following a joint Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Australian Border Force (ABF) operation in Sydney.

The MDMA in the sausage mince machines arrived in Port Botany from Turkey in a shipping container, on 28 September 2018.

AFP crime scene investigators identified 248 packages within the four machines, containing a total of approximately 496 kilograms of MDMA. It is estimated that if this amount of MDMA were pressed into pills for sale on the street, it could have a potential street value of more than $57 million.

Three people have been arrested following the seizure:

• A 27-year-old Guildford man was charged with one count of importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, namely MDMA, contrary to section 307.1, by virtue of section 11.1, of the Criminal Code (Cth), and attempting to possess a commercial a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, namely MDMA, contrary to section 307.5, by virtue of section 11.1 of the Criminal Code (Cth). He was remanded in custody and is due to next appear on 17 October 2018.
• A 24-year-old Coogee man was charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, namely MDMA, contrary to section 307.5, by virtue of section 11.1 of the Criminal Code (Cth). He was remanded in custody and is due to next appear on 12 October 2018.
• A 29-year-old Lidcombe man was charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, namely MDMA, contrary to section 307.5, by virtue of section 11.1 of the Criminal Code (Cth). He was remanded in custody and is due to next appear on 11 October 2018.

Images courtesy AFP.