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SYDNEY. — Australia has seized more than $760m of methamphetamine in its biggest ever bust of the highly-addictive drug, police said yesterday. Commonly known as “ice”, the massive 1.2 tonne haul was intercepted after being offloaded from a boat .

Australia has the world’s highest per capita consumption of crystal meth and the country has become an increasingly attractive destination for drug-smugglers, with street prices soaring. Much of the ice hitting its streets comes from China and the Golden Triangle region where the borders of Myanmar, Thailand and Laos meet.

Eight men, all Australian, were charged with either importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, or possessing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, and face life in jail. The seizure capped a six-month investigation with Australian Federal Police Deputy Commissioner Leanne Close alleging the ringleaders had been taken out.

“It equates to probably about Aus$1.0bn of border controlled drugs that are no longer going to be on the streets of Australia over the Christmas period,” she said.

“Police will allege in court these men intended to distribute the drugs along the east coast of Australia.” The Valkoista arrived at the port of Geraldton in Western Australia in the early hours of Thursday morning. The drugs were allegedly offloaded into a white hire van before tactical response officers swooped in, arresting three men inside. — AFP.