By Lucy Caulkett-
A British actress best known for her role in the EastEnders spin-off E20 has appeared before an Australian court after being charged in connection with an alleged attempt to import hundreds of kilograms of methamphetamine into the country, in what authorities describe as one of the most significant drug seizures of recent years.
Emaa Hussen, 34, who also appeared alongside action star Jason Statham in the thriller Hummingbird, was arrested following an investigation by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Australian Border Force (ABF) into the importation of approximately 320 kilograms of methamphetamine allegedly concealed within shipping containers arriving from Ghana.
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The case has attracted international attention not only because of the scale of the alleged drug operation but also because it involves a figure from the entertainment industry, a sector that has periodically found itself at the centre of high-profile narcotics investigations around the world.
Hussen appeared before a Sydney court on Thursday after authorities alleged she was involved in an operation that sought to bring a commercial quantity of methamphetamine into Australia by hiding the substance inside bags of charcoal contained within shipping containers shipped from West Africa.
According to investigators, the operation came to light after Australian Border Force officers identified anomalies during routine examinations of imported cargo. Officials said further inspection and X-ray screening of the containers revealed suspicious material hidden among the charcoal shipments. Subsequent testing allegedly identified the white crystallised substance as methamphetamine.
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Authorities estimate the shipment contained approximately 320 kilograms of the drug, with an estimated street value of AUD $296 million, equivalent to around £157 million. Australian police said the seizure prevented what could have amounted to approximately 3.2 million individual street-level drug transactions.
The drugs were allegedly removed from the shipment as part of a controlled law enforcement operation before the containers continued their journey through the supply chain. Investigators claim the containers were subsequently delivered to a storage facility in Sydney’s western suburbs, where surveillance operations were conducted as authorities sought to identify individuals allegedly connected to the shipment.
Police allege that Hussen attended the storage facility and supervised a group of men as the contents of one of the containers were unloaded. Authorities further allege that several bags were then transferred into a vehicle and transported to a nearby property in Blacktown, a suburb located in Greater Western Sydney. Shortly afterwards, investigators executed search warrants at the property and arrested Hussen. Officers allegedly discovered 32 bags which they claim had previously contained methamphetamine.
During searches of the property, investigators allegedly recovered 32 bags believed to have previously contained methamphetamine, alongside electronic devices and a notebook that police are expected to examine as part of their ongoing investigation into the alleged importation network
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