A Sydney woman has been charged over her alleged role in the importation of the drug ice concealed in bottles of chilli sauce.
Australian Border Force officers on October 15 examined an air cargo consignment — declared to contain Sriracha hot chilli sauce — after it was delivered to a Sydney freight depot.
It was found to contain 768 bottles of the sauce with testing returning a positive indicator for methylamphetamine, also known as the drug “ice”.
A preliminary forensic analysis determined the bottles contained about 400kg of methylamphetamine with an estimated street value of more than $300 million.
In a joint agency operation, four men were arrested and charged. They remain before the courts.
Following further investigations, detectives searched a unit at Merrylands, in Sydney’s west, about 9am on Thursday.
They found $644,000 cash, two semiautomatic pistols, a .22 calibre shortened bolt action rifle, ammunition, 2kg of MDMA, 250g of cocaine, 340g of cannabis, mobile phones, SIM cards, drug paraphernalia and various documents.
The estimated street value of the drugs seized was almost $200,000.
Aleksija Vracar, 24, was arrested at the property.
Police allege the Bosnian-born woman used fraudulent identification to set-up four businesses to assist with the importation of illicit drugs.
She was refused bail and appeared at Fairfield Local Court on Friday where she was refused bail. She will appear at Parramatta Local Court on January 30.
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