Sydney, May 24 (IANS): Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Australian Border Force said on Wednesday that more than 300 kg of methamphetamine was seized in Sydney.

A joint statement said the seized naroctics could have been sold as more than 3 million individual street deals and reached an estimated street value of over A$273 million ($180 million), reports Xinhua news agency.

The drugs were hidden inside a steel hydraulic press, which arrived in the state of New South Wales on board a ship on April 18.

Engineering experts identified a white substance deep inside the machinery, after drilling into the core of the hydraulic press.

The machinery was pulled apart to reveal 79 circle-shaped blocks of methamphetamine.

The blocks were stored within two lead-lined tubs in a bid to evade detection.

"Methamphetamine causes immense harm. On average, 33 people were hospitalised each day in Australia for methamphetamine-related incidents in 2020-21," said AFP Detective Sergeant Salam Zreika.

Zreika noted that the funding needed to obtain 300 kg of methamphetamine, and to develop such a complex concealment method could be achieved only by a well-established organised crime syndicate.

The AFP is currently seeking information to identify the transnational crime syndicate.