MELBOURNE, June 30 (Xinhua) -- Seven members of an international drug ring have been arrested after cocaine worth 23 million U.S. dollars was found in a shipping container in Melbourne.
The seven men, four from Australia, two from Canada and one from Britain, were arrested in police raids on multiple properties across Melbourne on Friday, three days after the cocaine was discovered on Monday.
John Beveridge, a commander from the Australian Federal Police (AFP), said Friday the cargo arrived on a vessel coming from Panama at the Port of Melbourne on Monday night.
"The particular container we were interested in possessed three black duffel bags placed inside the container with a duplicate seal," Beveridge told reporters.
"Each bag contained 26 boxes of cocaine. The amount of cocaine is estimated at a street value of (23 million U.S. dollars)."
Police said the syndicate had used aerial drones to conduct counter-surveillance on police throughout the investigation process.
"The syndicate was using a drone when they were holding their meetings, to conduct counter-surveillance, to see if anyone, like law enforcement, was watching," Beveridge said.
The major bust coincided with the release of an Australian Crime Intelligence Commission (ACIC) which stated that Victoria had become the Australian capital of illicit drugs.
The AFP worked with law enforcement from around the world to make the arrests on Friday.
"We've been acting with our counterparts in North and South America and throughout Asia throughout this investigation," Beveridge said.
