Four Taiwan youths nabbed with $130M in ice in Melbourne

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) arrested four Taiwan youths and seized four suitcases of methamphetamine, commonly called ice, in an inner-city apartment in the city Tuesday night. The AFP and Australian Crime Commission (ACC) were acting on a search warrant following a tip forwarded by an ad hoc task force to combat drugs in Australia. The AFP seized 135 kilograms of methamphetamine with a street value of A$130 million (NT$3.69B), said to represent 1.3 million street deals of the drug. The four men, Chun Lan, 28, Ming Hsuan Ou and Li Ping Chen, both 23, and Shu Yi Lin, 20, appeared briefly in the Melbourne Magistrates Court Wednesday. They were all charged with possessing and trafficking a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug. The charges carry a maximum penalty of life in prison. The four men told the court through a translator they all have Australian tourist visas and their arrest Tuesday was their first time in custody. They are scheduled to appear in court on November 5.