An actress who previously appeared in an EastEnders spin-off and a film starring Jason Statham has been charged in Australia over an alleged plot to import hundreds of kilograms of methamphetamine from West Africa.
Emaa Hussen, 34, appeared before a court in Sydney on Thursday after being charged with attempting to import a commercial quantity of methamphetamine. If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, reports BBC.
Australian authorities allege Hussen was involved in a scheme to bring 320 kilograms of meth into the country from Ghana using shipping containers loaded with bags of charcoal. Investigators estimate the seized drugs had a street value of approximately AU$296 million (US$208m.)
The case stems from an investigation launched in April after border officials detected irregularities in two shipping containers that arrived at Sydney's Port Botany. The containers had been declared as carrying charcoal, but scans led officers to discover what police described as a "white crystalised substance." Testing later confirmed the material was methamphetamine.
According to police, the drugs were removed from the shipment before authorities allowed the containers to continue to a storage facility in Girraween, a suburb in western Sydney.
Investigators allege Hussen later attended the facility and oversaw the unloading of the container. Police claim several bags were loaded into a vehicle and transported to a residence in Blacktown. Hussen was subsequently arrested at that location, where officers also seized electronic devices and a notebook.
Hussen has already been denied bail and is scheduled to return to court in August.
Before her arrest, Hussen was known for playing Naz in the EastEnders spin-off E20, which debuted in 2010. She also appeared in the 2013 action thriller Hummingbird, released in the United States under the title Redemption.
As part of the same investigation, police also charged a 30-year-old woman and a 32-year-old man in Adelaide. Authorities allege the pair used false identities to rent the Sydney storage units where the shipment was delivered.
"The seizure of these drugs - with an estimated street value of $296 million - has prevented a potential 3.2 million deals from reaching Australian streets," Det Acting Supt Trevor Robinson from the Australian Federal Police said.
Australian Border Force Supt Jared Leighton said, "Criminal syndicates will go to great lengths to disguise illicit drugs, including embedding them in everyday goods like charcoal, but our highly skilled officers are trained to see beyond these attempts".
Emaa Hussen, 34, appeared before a court in Sydney on Thursday after being charged with attempting to import a commercial quantity of methamphetamine. If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, reports BBC.
Australian authorities allege Hussen was involved in a scheme to bring 320 kilograms of meth into the country from Ghana using shipping containers loaded with bags of charcoal. Investigators estimate the seized drugs had a street value of approximately AU$296 million (US$208m.)
The case stems from an investigation launched in April after border officials detected irregularities in two shipping containers that arrived at Sydney's Port Botany. The containers had been declared as carrying charcoal, but scans led officers to discover what police described as a "white crystalised substance." Testing later confirmed the material was methamphetamine.
According to police, the drugs were removed from the shipment before authorities allowed the containers to continue to a storage facility in Girraween, a suburb in western Sydney.
Investigators allege Hussen later attended the facility and oversaw the unloading of the container. Police claim several bags were loaded into a vehicle and transported to a residence in Blacktown. Hussen was subsequently arrested at that location, where officers also seized electronic devices and a notebook.
Hussen has already been denied bail and is scheduled to return to court in August.
Before her arrest, Hussen was known for playing Naz in the EastEnders spin-off E20, which debuted in 2010. She also appeared in the 2013 action thriller Hummingbird, released in the United States under the title Redemption.
As part of the same investigation, police also charged a 30-year-old woman and a 32-year-old man in Adelaide. Authorities allege the pair used false identities to rent the Sydney storage units where the shipment was delivered.
"The seizure of these drugs - with an estimated street value of $296 million - has prevented a potential 3.2 million deals from reaching Australian streets," Det Acting Supt Trevor Robinson from the Australian Federal Police said.
Australian Border Force Supt Jared Leighton said, "Criminal syndicates will go to great lengths to disguise illicit drugs, including embedding them in everyday goods like charcoal, but our highly skilled officers are trained to see beyond these attempts".
