Cocaine seizures more than doubled in Australia amid a global surge in trafficking and as international crime syndicates found new ways to bring illicit drugs and precursor chemicals into the country, agencies said.
Almost 27 metric tons of cocaine, methamphetamine or ‘ice,’ heroin, and chemicals used to make illicit substances were nabbed in the year through June 2023, up 16% on the prior year, Australian Federal Police and Australian Border Force said in a joint statement Saturday. The seized goods have an estimated street value of about A$10.7 billion ($7.3 billion).
