UK actress charged over Australia meth import plot

A British actress who appeared in an EastEnders spin-off and a Jason Statham film has been charged in Australia with trying to import methamphetamine hidden in bags of charcoal from Ghana, in a shipment police say was worth nearly A$300 million.

Emaa Hussen, 34, appeared in a Sydney court on Thursday after being charged with attempting to import a commercial quantity of methamphetamine into Australia. The charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.

Australian police allege Hussen and a couple from South Australia were involved in an attempt to bring 320kg, or about 700 pounds, of meth into the country. Authorities said the drugs were concealed in bags of charcoal packed into shipping containers sent from Ghana to Sydney.

The meth had an estimated street value of A$296 million, equivalent to about US$208 million or £157 million, according to the BBC.

Hussen was refused bail in an earlier court decision and is due back in court in August.

She played Naz in EastEnders: E20, a spin-off of the long-running British soap that first aired in 2010. She also appeared in the 2013 Jason Statham action thriller Hummingbird, which was released in the United States as Redemption.

Authorities began investigating in April after border officials detected anomalies in two shipping containers that had arrived at Sydney’s Port Botany from Ghana. The containers were listed as carrying bags of charcoal.

After X-raying the contents, authorities found what police described as a “white crystalised substance.” Further testing confirmed it was methamphetamine.

Police said they removed the drugs from the shipment before it was delivered to a storage facility in Girraween, in Sydney’s western suburbs. Investigators allege Hussen went to the facility and supervised as several men unpacked the container. Several bags were then loaded into a car and driven to a house in Blacktown, where police later arrested Hussen.

Police also seized electronic devices and a notebook. Australia’s 9News reported that police found 32 bags at the house.

As part of the same investigation, police arrested and charged a 30-year-old woman and a 32-year-old man in Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. Authorities allege the couple used false identities to rent storage units in Sydney where the drugs were 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,” Detective Acting Superintendent Trevor Robinson of the Australian Federal Police said.

Australian Border Force Superintendent Jared Leighton said the case showed the lengths traffickers use to hide drugs.

“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,” Leighton said.