British Actress Faces Life Sentence In Australia Over Alleged $300Million Meth Importation From Ghana
British Actress Faces Life Sentence In Australia Over Alleged $300Million Meth Importation From Ghana
A 34-year-old British television actress known for her role in the EastEnders spin-off E20 and a supporting appearance in Jason Statham’s action film Hummingbird, Emaa Hussen, has been charged in Australia over an alleged attempt to import 320 kilograms of methamphetamine worth about $300 million concealed inside charcoal shipments from Ghana.
Hussen appeared before a Sydney court on Thursday on charges relating to the attempted importation of a commercial quantity of methamphetamine, an offence that carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment under Australian law.
Investigators said that Hussen allegedly worked with a South Australian couple in a scheme to bring the drugs into the country through two shipping containers that arrived at Sydney’s Port Botany from Ghana, according to the BBC.
Authorities estimated the seized narcotics had a street value of about A$296 million.
Court records showed that Hussen had previously been denied bail and is expected to reappear before the court in August.
Before her arrest, Hussen portrayed the character Naz in E20, a spin-off of the BBC soap EastEnders, which premiered in 2010.
She also appeared in the 2013 Jason Statham thriller Hummingbird, released in the United States under the title Redemption.
The Australian Federal Police said the investigation began in April after border officials noticed irregularities in two containers declared as carrying bags of charcoal.
Following X-ray examinations, officers reportedly discovered a white crystalline substance hidden inside the shipment. Laboratory analysis later confirmed the substance to be methamphetamine.
Investigators said the drugs were secretly removed from the containers before the shipment was transported to a storage facility in Girraween, western Sydney.
Police alleged that Hussen later visited the site and oversaw the unloading operation involving several men.
Authorities further alleged that some of the bags were subsequently transferred into a vehicle and taken to a residence in Blacktown, where Hussen was arrested.
Officers also confiscated electronic devices and a notebook during the operation.
In a related development, police arrested a 30-year-old woman and a 32-year-old man in Adelaide, accusing them of using false identities to rent storage units in Sydney, where the shipment was delivered.
Det Acting Supt Trevor Robinson of the Australian Federal Police said the operation prevented millions of doses from reaching consumers.
“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,” Robinson said.
Australian Border Force Superintendent Jared Leighton commended officers involved in the operation and warned that criminal groups continually devise new methods to conceal illegal substances.
“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.
