British Actress Emaa Hussen Charged in Australia Over A$296 Million Methamphetamine Importation
British actress Emaa Hussen, aged 34, appeared in a Sydney court following her charge with attempting to import a commercial quantity of methamphetamine into Australia. The offence carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Police allege Ms Hussen, alongside a couple from South Australia, orchestrated the importation of methamphetamine concealed within charcoal bags transported in shipping containers originating from Ghana. The illicit drugs have an estimated street value of A$296 million ($208 million; £157 million).
Ms Hussen, known for her role as Naz in the 2010 Eastenders spin-off E20 and an appearance in Jason Statham's 2013 film Hummingbird, was denied bail and is scheduled to return to court in August.
The Australian Federal Police launched an investigation in April after border authorities at Sydney's Port Botany identified irregularities in two shipping containers from Ghana. X-ray examinations of the contents, declared as charcoal, revealed a 'white crystalised substance', subsequently confirmed as methamphetamine.
Authorities substituted the drugs before the shipment was delivered to a storage facility in Girraween, western Sydney. Police allege Ms Hussen attended the facility, supervising men as they unpacked the container and loaded bags into a vehicle before driving to a Blacktown residence where she was arrested. Electronic devices and a notebook were seized.
Concurrently, a 30-year-old woman and a 32-year-old man were arrested in Adelaide, South Australia, charged with using false identities to rent the Sydney storage units implicated in the drug delivery.
Detective Acting Superintendent Trevor Robinson of the Australian Federal Police stated, "The seizure of these drugs – with an estimated street value of A$296 million – has prevented a potential 3.2 million deals from reaching Australian streets."
