Australian police seized 55kg cocaine from Mexican import

Australian federal police on Thursday confirmed they have discovered 55kg of cocaine and methamphetamines, with an estimated wholesale value of up to 14 million U.S. dollars, in a shipment of beer from Mexico. The drugs were concealed as liquid in 44 cartons of Cucapa beer in a shipment that arrived in Melbourne earlier in October. The drugs were discovered by customs officers who noticed the clear liquid was not consistent with other bottles containing beer. Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers then tested the liquid, totalling 390 litres in 1105 bottles, and found it has contained cocaine or methamphetamine. Seven search warrants were executed on Wednesday, and a 27-year- old Australian man was arrested and charged with attempting to possess commercial quantities of unlawfully imported border- controlled drugs. According to AFP Manager Melbourne Commander Scott Lee, Australia was becoming a popular target for illegal drugs from Mexico and the discovery had disrupted a major international drug syndicate targeting Australia. "I think we are seeing more and more narcotics that are originating from Mexico, that's certainly corroborated by a number of international reports that we've seen come out of the United Nations and other areas," he said in a statement on Thursday. "It's an issue for Australia and it's also an issue for other countries around the world." AFP annual report earlier showed illegal drug seizures in Australia have increased 316 percent in the past financial year, and Scott said much of the increase is due to the high Australian dollar, making Australia an attractive market, as well Australians ' demand for drugs.