Australian police charged on Monday three people believed to be connected to the Mexican cartel for attempting to smuggle into Australia about 85 kilograms of methamphetamine disguised in plastic boxes.

The Australian Federal Police said in a statement that the three defendants, two Americans and one Australian, were charged with one criminal charge of attempting to possess illegal drugs in commercial quantities, for which Each of them faces up to 25 years in prison.

“The arrest of three people in Australia and their connection to a huge cartel based in Mexico This gives us valuable insight into organized crime operations,” Police Superintendent Christy Cressy said in a statement. What kind of Mexican criminal organization it is is not specified.

The three arrests came after U.S. authorities discovered last February over 85 kilograms of methamphetamine disguised in 13 plastic boxes in Los Angeles with an estimated black market value of $52.2 million.

After replacing the drug with a harmless substance, American authorities sent boxes to Australia, allowing their ocean country counterparts to conduct various police raids in Sydney and track down the three accused between late April and early May last year.

These three arrests are part of Operation Eldia, which began in May 2022 after authorities in the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong seized several shipments containing hundreds of kilograms of methamphetamine and cocaine since April of that year hidden in plastic boxes or electrical transformers.