SYDNEY: Some drug traffickers use intricate contraptions to hide their contraband, but two New Zealand women allegedly opted for something a bit simpler -- hiding 38 kilograms of meth under just a small layer of towels.
The pair were stopped for a baggage inspection coming into Sydney on a flight from Singapore in December, Australia's Border Force and Federal Police said this week.
"Upon inspecting the women's luggage, ABF officers allegedly located dozens of vacuum-sealed bags of a crystallised substance, concealed underneath a small layer of towels," police said.
Testing revealed the substance was methamphetamine, they added.
A spokesman for Australia's Federal Police told AFP the drugs had an estimated street value of AUD$35.2 million (US$25 million).
Images shared by the twin police agencies showed the methamphetamine packed tightly into a suitcase under a pink towel.
In another video the drugs are barely concealed by the towel, falling out of the suitcase the moment the border officer unzips it.
The two women faced court on Wednesday in Sydney charged with importing a commercial quantity of an illegal drug, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. - AFP
