Ecstasy on the barbie: Australia seizes 645 kg drugs smuggled in barbecues

Australian Border Force said it had charged a 30-year-old man from Queensland and a 33-year-old Canadian national over their involvement in the criminal enterprise

Australian police have arrested two men for allegedly smuggling 645 kilogrammes (1,422 pounds) of ecstasy hidden inside hundreds of aluminium barbecues, the culmination of a six-month investigation spanning three countries.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Australian Border Force (ABF) said it had charged a 30-year-old man from Queensland and a 33-year-old Canadian national over their involvement in the criminal enterprise. At well over half a tonne, the haul of MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, is the biggest shipment by weight seized in Australia this year.

The investigation remains ongoing and is expected to lead to further arrests, the ABF said. Police