WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A drug syndicate that tried to smuggle tons of methamphetamine from Canada to Australia and New Zealand by hiding it in shipments of maple syrup and canola oil has had its ruse busted, authorities said Thursday. Australian police said they intercepted four separate hauls of meth weighing more than six tons and filed charges against six men. They said Canadian authorities swapped out the meth for a harmless substance and allowed the shipment to continue. In New Zealand, police said the syndicate tried to hide more than three-quarters of a ton of meth in a shipment of maple syrup, the largest such shipment that had been intercepted at New Zealand's border. “Unfortunately, the insatiable appetite for illicit drugs in Australia makes us a lucrative market for organized crime,’’ Hill said in a statement.

Source: Huffington Post June 15, 2023 19:12 UTC