The largest shipment ever detected in Australia of the deadly opioid fentanyl has been seized in Melbourne and an urgent public warning has been issued about the drug.
More than 11kg of pure powdered fentanyl was found hidden inside a wood lathe, which is a tool used to cut and sand pieces of wood.
It arrived from Canada at the Port of Melbourne in December.
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On Monday, the Australian Federal Police issued a warning about the dangers of the highly-addictive drug.
Fentanyl is used in Australia for medical purposes, but can be fatal when cut with heroin and sold as an illicit drug.
The opioid acts on the same receptors in the body as heroin, and a dose about the equivalent of 28mg - or just two grains of salt - can kill.
The 11kg shipment is the largest ever detected in Australia, and the size is the equivalent of about 5 million doses.
There have only been minor importations found in the past and all were less than 30g.
Removing and analysing fentanyl is a complex process and can take weeks, with forensic officers needing to wear bio-hazard suits.
Skin contact with the powder could cause loss of consciousness and even death.
““People who use illicit drugs can never be certain what they are ingesting and this seizure highlights the potentially lethal game of Russian roulette they play. We don’t want to see Australia joining other countries in that deadly game,” AFP acting Commander Anthony Hall said in a statement.
“Drug extraction can always pose a risk but the lethality of fentanyl, even in small doses, required our forensic officers to wear biohazard suits and we had multiple ambulances on standby.
“Even in this highly controlled environment, there was a risk to our members’ safety.
“Our concern is that if such a large amount of fentanyl was in the hands of Australian-based criminal networks driven by greed, it could have passed uncontrolled and hidden into the community with possibly deadly results.”
By Chelsea Caffery / Royal Family
By Frances Sheen / NSW News
By Chelsea Caffery / Royal Family
By Frances Sheen / NSW News