Almost 750 kilos of methylamphetamine concealed in marble tiles has been seized from shipping containers in Sydney, allegedly sent by an international crime syndicate.
Acting on a tip off on July 27, Australian Border Force officers uncovered four containers with the meth secreted in the tiles on a ship berthed at Port Botany that had arrived from the United Arab Emirates.
Three men arrested over the massive haul on Wednesday are facing life in jail if convicted.
Two men were arrested in dawn raids across five suburbs in Sydney's west, accused of being key players in the huge ice bust that's estimated to be worth more than $675 million on the streets.
The men aged 24 and 26 were arrested at a Burwood unit.
A third man was arrested about 11.30am after police stopped a car as it left a hotel at Sydney Olympic Park.
The police spoke with two Victorian men aged 34 and 40. The younger man was arrested, while the older was released pending further inquiries.
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said the operation took about 7.5 million ice deals off the streets.
"Sydney's drug market is one of the largest in the country with more methylamphetamine, cocaine and MDA consumed here than any other state," she told reporters on Thursday.
It's the biggest seizure by the state's Crime Command and Firearms Squad which worked in partnership with ABF.
"Police will be alleging the men form part of a criminal syndicate that was well equipped and highly sophisticated," Ms Webb said.
ABF Assistant Commissioner East Erin Dale said the seizure sends a message to criminal syndicates that the force has sophisticated tools and technologies to identify concealed contraband.
"Just in the last 10 days alone we've seen nearly two tonnes of drugs coming through the border," she said.
Drug and Firearms Squad Commander, Detective Superintendent John Watson said the import was the work of a highly resourced and well-equipped group.
"The activities that these men undertook both before and after the fact indicate they were well schooled in what they were doing and aware of the risks," he said.
The trio have been charged with importing a commercial quantity of border-controlled drug and taking part in supplying a large commercial quantity of a prohibited drug.
They were refused bail to appear at Burwood Local Court on Thursday.
Investigations under Strike Force Chellington continue.
