Hollywood actress Emaa Hussen charged with trying to smuggle 300kg of meth into Australia
A British actress has been accused of trying to import nearly $300 million worth of drugs into Australia.
Emaa Hussen was charged along with an Adelaide couple after they were accused of trying to import 320kg of methamphetamine disguised as sacks of coal from West Africa.
The 34-year-old actor, who starred in a spin-off of long-running British soap opera Eastenders and starred opposite Jason Statham in Hollywood film Redemption, appeared in court on Thursday after being arrested by New South Wales Police during a drugs raid in Sydney.
Police launched an investigation in April after border officials detected anomalies in two shipping containers arriving at Sydney Botanical Harbor from Ghana.
Authorities found a “white crystallized substance” inside containers listed as coal bags. Further testing confirmed the drug was meth.
Officers removed the drugs, which had a street value of $296 million, from the consignment before it was delivered to a storage facility at Girraween in Sydney’s western suburbs.
Police allege Ms Hussen went to the premises and supervised several men as they opened the container.
They allegedly loaded several bags into a car before driving to a house in Blacktown, where police later arrested Ms Hussen. Police also seized electronic devices and a notebook.
As part of the investigations, police also arrested and charged a 30-year-old woman and a 32-year-old man from Adelaide for allegedly using false identities to rent storage units in Sydney to which the drugs were delivered.
“The seizure of these drugs, with an estimated cache value of $296 million, prevented a potential 3.2 million drugs from reaching Australia’s streets,” Australian Federal Police Acting Det Trevor Robinson said.
Australian Border Force Supt Jared Leighton praised his officers for their efforts.
“Criminal organizations will go to great lengths to conceal illicit drugs, including placing them in everyday items such as charcoal, but our highly qualified officers are trained to see beyond these attempts.”
Ms. Hussen will remain behind bars until her next court appearance in August.
