Drug syndicate hid meth in Canadian maple syrup, canola oil bound for Down Under, authorities say
Authorities say a drug syndicate that tried to smuggle tons of methamphetamine from Canada to Australia and New Zealand by hiding it in shipments of maple syrup and canola oil has been busted WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- A drug syndicate that tried to smuggle tons of methamphetamine from Canada to Australia and New Zealand by hiding it in shipments of maple syrup and canola oil has been busted, authorities said Thursday. Authorities from the three nations said they had worked together for more than five months to unravel the elaborate scheme that was worth billions of dollars. Australian police said they had intercepted four separate hauls of meth weighing more than six tons and filed charges against six men. They said that in January, Canadian authorities alerted them that 2,900 liters (766 gallons) of liquid meth had been hidden in 180 bottles of canola oil bound for Australia. They said Canadian authorities swapped out the meth for a harmless substance and allowed the shipment to c