SYDNEY — Emaa Hussen, 34, appeared in a Sydney court on Thursday after being charged with attempting to smuggle a commercial quantity of methamphetamine into Australia. Police allege the methamphetamine was concealed inside bags of charcoal shipped in containers from Ghana, with a street value estimated at 296 million Australian dollars.

Law enforcement began an investigation in April after detecting anomalies in two shipping containers arriving at Port Botany from Ghana. Border authorities discovered a white crystallized substance after X-raying the containers, which laboratory testing confirmed to be methamphetamine. The seized methamphetamine weighed approximately 320 kilograms.

Police allege Hussen supervised several men who unpacked the containers and loaded the bags into a vehicle at a Girraween storage facility. Officers arrested Hussen at a residence in Blacktown after tracking the vehicle. At the Blacktown residence, police recovered 32 bags of charcoal, electronic devices, and a notebook.

Australian Federal Police acting superintendent Trevor Robinson said "The seizure of these drugs - with an estimated street value of $296 million - has prevented a potential 3.2 million deals from reaching Australian streets." Australian Border Force superintendent Jared Leighton said "Criminal syndicates will go to great lengths to disguise illicit drugs, including embedding them in everyday goods like charcoal, but our highly skilled officers are trained to see beyond these attempts."

A magistrate refused Hussen bail. She is scheduled to return to court in August. The maximum penalty for the charges is life imprisonment. Hussen previously appeared as an actress in the 2010 television series E20 and the 2013 film Hummingbird. Two other individuals, a 30-year-old woman and a 32-year-old man, were arrested in Adelaide for allegedly using false identities to rent storage units in Sydney.