Two men have been charged over the importation of 84 kilograms of a "date rape" drug that arrived into Australia hidden in vans on a cargo ship.
The Australian Federal Police said an international drug syndicate was behind the illicit import of ketamine, worth $3.36 million.
"Ketamine is a dangerous sedative known to be used illicitly as a 'date rape' drug," Acting Commissioner Kate Ferry said in a statement on Monday.
"Its dissociative effects block sensory brain signals and can cause memory loss, feelings of being detached from one's body and the inability to perceive danger.
Two men, aged 28 and 29, were arrested on Saturday after border authorities found 79 sealed bags of white powder inside cavities in two vans that arrived in Melbourne on May 15, the AFP said.
Police substituted the drug with another substance and released the vans which were collected and driven to a Sydney car dealership, the agency said.
One vehicle was then stolen and the fake drugs moved to another vehicle which was driven to Yennora before officers intercepted it and arrested the two men.
The alleged offenders were charged with attempting to possess commercial quantity of drugs and refused bail at Parramatta Local Court on Sunday.
"This was, simply put, an outrageous attempt to import a highly dangerous substance that could have caused untold harm if let loose on the community," AFP Assistant Commissioner Erin Dale said.
