UK Actress Charged with Attempted Drug Smuggling into Australia/ Image@BBC
A British actress, known for her role in an EastEnders spin-off and a film featuring Jason Statham, has been charged with allegedly attempting to smuggle over 300 kilograms of methamphetamine into Australia from West Africa.
Emaa Hussen, 34, appeared in a Sydney court on Thursday facing charges of trying to import a significant quantity of meth.
If convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Authorities allege that Hussen, along with a couple from South Australia, attempted to bring 320 kilograms of meth concealed within bags of charcoal in shipping containers originating from Ghana.
The estimated street value of the drugs is A$296 million (approximately US$208 million or £157 million).
Hussen was denied bail in a prior court hearing and is scheduled to return to court in August.
The actress portrayed the character Naz in the EastEnders spin-off E20, which premiered in 2010.
She also appeared in Statham’s 2013 action film Hummingbird, released in the U.S. under the title Redemption.
Australian police initiated an investigation in April after border officials detected irregularities in two shipping containers that arrived at Sydney’s Port Botany from Ghana.
Upon x-raying the containers, which were declared as bags of charcoal, authorities discovered a “white crystallized substance.”
Subsequent testing confirmed it to be methamphetamine.
The drugs were removed from the shipment before reaching a storage facility in Girraween, located in Sydney’s western suburbs.
Police allege that Hussen visited the facility and oversaw several men as they unpacked the container, loading multiple bags into a vehicle before heading to a residence in Blacktown, where Hussen was ultimately apprehended.
Law enforcement also confiscated electronic devices and a notebook during the operation.
In connection with the investigation, police arrested a 30-year-old woman and a 32-year-old man in Adelaide for allegedly using fake identities to rent the storage units in Sydney where the drugs were found.
”The seizure of these drugs, valued at approximately $296 million, has thwarted an estimated 3.2 million potential deals from hitting Australian streets,” stated Detective Acting Superintendent Trevor Robinson from the Australian Federal Police.
Australian Border Force Superintendent Jared Leighton commended his officers for their diligence, noting, “Criminal organizations will go to great lengths to disguise illegal substances, including embedding them in everyday items like charcoal, but our highly trained personnel are equipped to see through these tactics.”
By: Magdalene Agyeiwaa Sarpong