Three south Londoners have been charged for their suspected involvement in smuggling 24 kilograms of crystal meth.

The shipment filled with almost £16 million worth of methamphetamine was discovered by Australian Border Force in July last year.

Yvonne Stewart, 52, from Croydon, Kevin Filkins, 52, from Sevenoaks and Robert Hamilton, 51, from Orpington were arrested on the morning of April 13.

The three individuals were charged with being concerned in the exportation of Class A drugs and are to appear at Croydon Magistrates Court today.

News Shopper: The shipment was filled with methamphetamineThe shipment was filled with methamphetamine

Yvonne Stewart works in cargo and is accused of accepting a shipment filled with methamphetamine and failing to properly inspect it before it was shipped to Australia.

She also allegedly tracked the shipment as it travelled through the system.

Kevin Filkins is accused of paying for the shipment to be sent to Australia after he is said to have travelled to Croydon shipping centre on June 26 last year.

Robert Hamilton allegedly arranged the contact between the pair to organise the shipment of the drugs.

He has also been charged with production and possession with intent to supply a Class B drug after several cannabis plants were found at his address.

In July 2021, Australian Border Force (ABF) selected the shipload to be examined and uncovered 24 plastic bags, each containing one kilo of a substance that was later confirmed to be methamphetamine.

News Shopper: Australian Border Force confirmed the substance to be meth Australian Border Force confirmed the substance to be meth

The border force referred the packages to Australian Federal Police for further investigation.

An inquiry into an Australia-based organised crime syndicate who are alleged to be behind multiple importations of drugs led to the identification of the London based suspects.

Detective Inspector Guy Carmichael, of the Organised Crime Partnership, said: “These drugs would be worth a significant amount in the UK, some £4 million, but their value in Australia would have been remarkably higher at £16 million, or just shy of $28 million Australian dollars.

“Working closely with partners in Australia, including the Australian Federal Police, means a large quantity of these dangerous drugs taken off the streets and a suspected key supply chain taken out of action.

“We will continue to target those who are supplying illegal drugs, whether within the UK or overseas.”

Brendon Basford, a Detective Acting Inspector for Australian Federal Police said: “AFP investigators identified a person of interest in the UK tracking a shipment in a manner that we believed was suspicious, and passed on the information we had to the National Crime Agency via the AFP’s international liaison network.

“It’s incredibly rewarding to know that our partners have taken the initial information we provided and built a brief of evidence on criminal offences in the United Kingdom, having a tangible impact on the alleged suppliers to the enterprise seeking to exploit the Australian community.”

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