Largest seizure of ice in Australian history prevents '17 million hits of misery'

A record 900kg seizure of crystal methamphetamine has helped police eliminate "17 million hits of misery" for ice users, but officers are demanding more be done to tackle the nation's drug problem.

The ice haul, valued at almost $900 million, was discovered hidden in floorboards shipped in 70 boxes to Melbourne during a joint operation by Australian Federal Police and Victoria Police.

A 53-year-old Blackburn man and a 36-year-old Doncaster man have been charged with trafficking in a commercial quantity of illegal narcotics.

Australian Federal Police images show the huge quantity of the drug concealed inside wooden floorboards that were found at a Nunawading property in Melbourne’s east.

The floorboards had to be forensically deconstructed to extract the methamphetamine. Two kilograms was found between each floorboard.

"It came on a container on a boat to a port in Melbourne. You can appreciate the concealment was quite complex and unique, something we hadn’t seen before," AFP assistant commissioner Neil Gaughan said at a press conference today.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the seizure was a testament to the hard work of authorities for working to eliminate the "scourge" that destroys lives.

"This was nearly a tonne of ice, so this is a great credit to our border protection and our police in confiscating this enormous shipment," he said.

"It [ice] destroys families and communities. We will be ruthless in our efforts to stop the smuggling and the trafficking of drugs."

Australian Federal Police officers alerted local police to a drug lab in Box Hill in January, which led to 12 raids on homes in Blackburn North, Blackburn South, Box Hill North and Doncaster.

Approximately 40kg of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia and more than $140,000 in cash was seized in the investigation into the drug syndicate.

Police are still searching for two Asian men with links to the syndicate who are believed to frequent the Box Hill area.

Assistant Commissioner Fontana said the record ice haul highlighted Australia's drug problem.

"If you look at this particular seizure, 900kg of methamphetamine and if we look at the joint agency outcomes in Victoria alone for this year, this takes it up to 1.7 tonne of methamphetamine alone," he said

"That's not including seizures of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, MDMA and other drugs we have been seizing in large quantities as a result of our joint operations.

"That's 17 million hits of misery. We know the harm it causes. This comes back to that demand."

It comes less than a week after AFP and Australian Border Force officers arrested three Vietnamese nationals in Melbourne and seized 300kg of ice hidden in metal gates.