Drugs found in beer shipment: AFP

27 Oct 2011, 3:05 pm   -   Source: AAP
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Testing by Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers showed the liquid - totalling 390 litres in 1105 bottles - contained cocaine or methamphetamine. (Getty)

Testing by Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers showed the liquid - totalling 390 litres in 1105 bottles - contained cocaine or methamphetamine. (Getty)

Federal police say they've broken an international drug syndicate after finding 55kg of cocaine and methamphetamines in beer bottles from Mexico.

Federal police say they've broken up an international drug syndicate after discovering 55kg of cocaine and methamphetamines in a shipment of beer from Mexico.

The drugs, with an estimated wholesale value of up to $14 million, were concealed as liquid in 44 cartons of Cucapa beer in a shipment that arrived at the Port of Melbourne earlier in October.

The 44 cartons, in a consignment of 672 cases of the beer, were discovered by customs officers who noticed the clear liquid was not consistent with other bottles containing beer.

Testing by Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers showed the liquid - totalling 390 litres in 1105 bottles - contained cocaine or methamphetamine.

The liquid was replaced and the boxes delivered to a company in Tullamarine, from where they were sent to various addresses in Melbourne.

Seven search warrants were executed on Wednesday, and a 27-year-old Yarraville man was arrested and charged with attempting to possess commercial quantities of unlawfully imported border-controlled drugs.

Erol Ramazanoglu appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday and was remanded in custody until November 4 for a bail application.

AFP Manager Melbourne, Commander Scott Lee, said police were seeking several more people over the seizure and urged them to come forward.

DRUG SYNDICATE

He said the discovery had disrupted a major drug syndicate targeting Australia.

"Our view is that the syndicate is significant in that the cocaine and the methamphetamine we understand originated in Mexico," he said.

Mr Lee said Australia was becoming a popular target for illegal drugs from Mexico.

"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.

"It's an issue for Australia and it's also an issue for other countries around the world."

Illegal drug seizures in Australia have increased 316 per cent in the past financial year, according to the AFP annual report.

Mr Scott said much of the increase reflected the high Australian dollar, making Australia an attractive market, as well Australians' demand for drugs.

"I think for Australia we are certainly seen in terms of our strength as a market both in terms of consumption and in terms of the Australian dollar," he said.

"We are a market that is lucrative for syndicates, and we're seeing more and more importations that are targeting us as a destination point."

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