Australian trio arrested over mosaic tiles hiding $360m meth haul

The alleged importers of a stack of mosaic tiles were not planning a bathroom renovation, but rather are accused of hiding AU$333 million (NZ$360.4 million) in methamphetamine.

The discovery led to the arrests of three men who face drug charges which could land them in prison for life.

A shipment of tiles believed to have come from the Middle East was intercepted by border authorities in Sydney in April.

Forensic testing found the 360 boxes contained about 360kg of methamphetamine with an estimated street value of AU$333 million (NZ$360.4 million).

After removing the drugs, federal police delivered the boxes to a storage facility in Chullora in the city's southwest.

Two Sydney men aged 56 and 39 allegedly collected the tiles, and expecting to be paid AU$50,000 (NZ$54,113.20) for their role.

The men were arrested today and are expected to be charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

The pair are expected to face court later today.

After leaving Sydney, the tiles were tracked to Melbourne where they were delivered to a 39-year-old man, the alleged intended recipient of the drugs.

He faced court in May charged with the same drug importation charge along with refusing access to encrypted information and committing an offence while on bail.

The man is next due to face Melbourne Magistrates Court on October 29.

Devices allegedly linked to the plot were seized from his property.

Both Australian Federal Police and Australian Border Force celebrated the arrests as a triumph of inter-agency co-operation.

AFP Acting Commander Peter Fogarty said the arrests were part of the daily efforts of multiple agencies to combat organised crime and dangerous drugs.

"Methamphetamine causes immense harm to users and their families and make our communities less safe," he said.

"(The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare says) on average, 38 people were hospitalised each day in Australia for methamphetamine-related incidents in 2022-23."