BBC star faces life in prison after £160million drugs bust

Authorities uncovered 320kg of drugs

Former BBC actress Emma Hussen has been arrested and charged in connection to a major drug trafficking operation in Australia. 

Hussen, 34, was known for playing the role of Naz Mehmet in the EastEnders spin off E20 and later starring alongside Jason Statham in the 2013 thriller Redemption.

The arrest is tied to a massive £160 million drug bust in Sydney, where authorities uncovered around 320 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden inside bags of charcoal that had been shipped from Ghana.

The investigation comes after Australian Border Force officers at Port Botany received a tip about a potentially suspicious shipment arriving from overseas. Acting on it, officials inspected the cargo and conducted X-ray scans after “a white crystallised substance” was discovered. 

Subsequent testing confirmed that the substance in question was methamphetamine, prompting authorities to launch a major operation to trace the shipment and identify those involved.

According to investigators, the shipment was then closely monitored as it made its way to a storage facility in Girraween, allowing authorities to track its movements before making arrests.

Hussen’s alleged role in the smuggling

Police claim that Hussen was involved in an attempt to bring the drugs into the country, stating that after the shipment arrived she, along with other suspects, began unpacking the drugs from the cargo before transporting items from the site. 

She allegedly supervised the contents as they were being unloaded, and supervised the process. 

The bags were eventually transported to a property in Blacktown, where officers carried out an operation that resulted in Hussen’s arrest.

Police discovered 32 additional bags while searching the property, which were identical to those used for the methamphetamine shipment. 

A number of electronic devices were also seized by the officers, along with a notebook that is expected to be examined as part of the ongoing investigation.

What happens now?

Hussen has been denied bail and will remain behind bars until her next court hearing in August and if convicted, she could be facing a life sentence.

The case is also linked to two Adelaide residents, aged 30 and 32, who were charged with similar offences in April 2026. 

According to authorities, the two rented a storage facility in Sydney using false identification and the location was used as the drop off point for the drugs. 

Both are scheduled to appear in court in September as authorities continue to pursue the wider drug trafficking operation.

Speaking about the operation, local police highlighted the scale of the seizure, revealing that the drugs had an estimated street value of $296 million.

According to authorities, the bust likely stopped around 3.2 million individual drug deals from taking place across Australia, describing it as a major blow to organised crime. 

They also pointed to the case as an example of how law enforcement agencies can work together across multiple countries to track and disrupt international drug trafficking networks.

They added: “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.”