Australian Federal Police said Monday they intercepted a shipment of fentanyl that would be enough for 5 million doses, by far the largest seizure of the deadly synthetic opioid in the country’s history.
Authorities said they typically seize about 30 grams or less of the drug, which is up to 100 times more potent than morphine and driving overdose deaths to record levels in the U.S.
“So to have a detection that is 11 kilograms pure is just quite frankly extraordinary,” Australian Border Force Commander James Watson said at a Monday press conference.
The drugs entered the country hidden inside an industrial three-tone lathe that arrived at the port of Melbourne in December.