EastEnders actress accused of smuggling £157m of meth into Australia
Emaa Hussen, known for playing Naz in the EastEnders spin-off E20, is accused of attempting to import a commercial quantity of methamphetamine into Australia
A British actress has been charged after allegedly attempting to smuggle in 320kg of methamphetamine into Australia from Ghana.
Listen to this article
Emaa Hussen, known for playing Naz in the EastEnders spin-off E20, appeared in court in Sydney on Thursday.
Police alleged that Hussen, who also starred in Jason Statham’s action thriller ‘Hummingbird’, attempted to import methamphetamine by smuggling it in bags of charcoal in shipping containers from Ghana.
She is charged alongside another couple as part of a police investigation launched after Australian Border Force officers identified ‘anomalies’ in the containers.
After x-raying the bags, officers found a white crystallised substance, which turned up positive in a test for methamphetamine.
Read more: Pétanque player, 81, 'kills rival, 68, with metal boule' as alleged turf war descends into violence
Read more: Grammy-nominated producer for Beyoncé and Drake found dead at home aged 29
Around 320kg of the drug was found in the bag, which carries an estimated street value of $296 million Australian Dollars (equivalent to around £157 million).
The drugs were confiscated from the shipment by police before it was taken to a storage facility in the western suburbs of Sydney.
Hussen allegedly went to the storage facility with the police and supervised several men as they unpacked the container.
Multiple bags were subsequently loaded into a vehicle and taken to a nearby house in Blacktown.
Officers carried out a search warrant at the house and arrested Hussen.
Inside the house, officers found 32 bags, which were alleged to have previously contained methamphetamine.
Police also confiscated electronic devices and a notebook.
A 30-year-old woman and a 32-year-old man were arrested in Adelaide for allegedly attempting to rent the storage units in Sydney under false identities.
Detective Acting Superintendent Trevor Robinson has confirmed that an investigation into the suppliers and key facilitators of the drug importation is being carried out by the Australian Federal Police.
The charge of attempting to import a commercial quantity of methamphetamine into Australia – which Hussen faces - has a maximum penalty of life in prison.
She was previously refused bail and is expected to return to court in August.
