Australian Federal Police o­n Sunday said they had seized a record 170kg shipment of ecstasy powder from Malaysia and smashed a major drug ring.

Police located the drugs in a shipping container this week after a 14-month operation carried out with the Royal Malaysian Police.

"This is the biggest seizure of pure ecstasy in Australia, with an estimated potential to produce more than o­ne million hits," Customs Minister Chris Ellison said.

Ellison estimated the drugs had a street value of US$90 million.

Dutch national arrested

A 38-year-old Dutch national who lives in Malaysia was arrested while trying to leave Sydney o­n Thursday and charged with organising the shipment.

Four other men, o­ne a British national, were arrested in raids across the city and police in Malaysia arrested six men who were allegedly part of the syndicate.

Ellison said Australian police had worked closely with their Malaysian counterparts since Febraury gathering evidence of alleged drug dealing by syndicate members in both countries. - AFP