Australian, Dutch police break-up massive ecstasy smuggling operation

The jointDutch-Australianoperationseized $200 million worth of MDMA,the key ingredient inecstasy,in the Netherlands and Belgium and led to charges against 11 people, including oneAustralianwoman, officials said.

"That is one of the mostsignificant operations in thehistory of the collaboration betweenall of our agencies," said Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton, who leads Australia'spoliceand security agencies.

Following a months-long investigation, some 700 kilogramsof crystalline MDMA were intercepted in August in theDutchport of Rotterdam, theAustralianFederalPolicesaid.

Dutchpolicethen raided 15 locations in the Netherlands and Belgium on November 5, uncovering two hidden laboratories, additional stashes of MDMA and 50 tonnes of precursor chemicals,policesaid.

"We believe that thiscriminal network was involved andable to produce many thousandsof kilos of MDMA, equivalent to tensof millions of pills, a large part of which was likely destined forAustralia," said Andy Kraag, assistant commissioner of theDutchNational Criminal Investigations Division.

Kraag told a press conference in Brisbane the seized MDMA "could be used for more than 10 millionecstasypills."

Dutton said the timing of the drugoperationindicated the smugglers were hoping to specifically target "schoolies week," when thousands of high school students party along Queensland beaches beginning this weekend.

"Thetiming would have meant that thesepills are hitting the street andspecifically here in Queensland at atime just before schoolies," he said.

He celebrated the success of theoperation, and added,"people who tell you that weare losing the fight and the waragainst drugs don't know what theyare talking about."

"We want to target the completechain", he said.