Australian police seizes country's largest shipment of opioid

More than 5 million doses of fentanyl that were being circulated illegally on the streets of the country have been seized by the Australian Border Force (ABF).

Hidden inside an industrial wooden lathe, the opioids were found in a shipment arriving from Canada in Melbourne in December 2021.

Nearly 60 kilograms of illegal substances were discovered by Australian police officers during an examination of the shipping container two months later.

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With an estimated street value of 27 million Australian dollars (roughly €18.5 million, or US$18.5 million), the substances were equivalent to about 5.5 million potential lethal doses of 30 milligrams.

While as little as 28 milligrams of the drug can result in death, Australian police said they had only ever detected illegal fentanyl in amounts of less than 30 grams.

Fentanyl, which is a highly addictive painkiller, is almost 50 times more potent than morphine and is primarily used for medical purposes in Australia.

According to AFP acting Commander Anthony Hall, one of the main purposes to make the announcement so late was "to alert the community to the harms of what fentanyl poses."

Clarifying that no arrests have been made, Hall suggested the organised crime was to blame for the large shipment of the drug.

(With inputs from agencies)

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