BUSAN -- Two people have been indicted on charges of smuggling in 902 kilograms of methamphetamine from Mexico, the biggest amount of drug smuggling ever, prosecutors said Thursday.

A 38-year-old Australian, whose name was withdrawn, was indicted under detention on drug charges, along with a 36-year-old accomplice who was indicted without detention, the Busan District Prosecutors Office said.

In collusion with an international crime ring, the Australian allegedly brought in the drug, hidden inside helical gears, on two occasions in December 2019 and July 2020 from Mexico. Of them, 498 kilograms were smuggled back to Australia, according to the prosecutors.

Worth about 90.2 billion won ($73.8 million) in wholesale price, the smuggled drug marks the biggest ever amount brought into the country in its drug smuggling history.

The accomplice was standing retrial after getting a 15-year prison sentence in a separate drug smuggling case when he was freshly indicted in the latest case. (Yonhap)