Twenty one people, including 14 Victorians and some with alleged mafia links, were arrested after the seizure of 4.4 tonnes of ecstasy,

Twenty one people, including 14 Victorians and some with alleged mafia links, were arrested after the seizure of 4.4 tonnes of ecstasy, it was revealed last Friday.The arrests were the culmination of a 12-month operation across the country, including Melbourne.Those charged included a 37-year-old Werribee woman who was arrested in a Carlton house and charged with trafficking MDMA, money laundering in excess of $1m and aiding and abetting the importation of cocaine. She appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Friday and was remanded to reappear in court in March.
The other Victorians were from Kew, Keilor East, Werribee, West Footscray, Cheltenham, Greenvale, Sydenham, Taylors Lakes, Eltham and Nar Nar Goon. Charges include trafficking MDMA and conspiracy to import MDMA.
The AFP executed 45 search warrants across Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and New South Wales as part of the joint investigation involving Australian Customs, a spokesperson said. AFP Commissioner Mick Keelty said 400 AFP officers were involved in the operation, which included law enforcement agencies in Asia and Europe.
"This is an extraordinary outcome for law enforcement as it continues to work together to detect illicit drugs before they reach Australia," he said.
The investigation began after the identification and examination of a shipping container in Melbourne in June last year containing MDMA tablets in more than 3000 tins with an approximate street value of $440 million, the AFP said.
The AFP and Customs identified another shipping container in Melbourne on July 24, carrying three bags of white powder weighing 150kg. Early testing indicated presence of cocaine. The AFP also uncovered a $9 million money laundering operation allegedly linked to the syndicate.