UK actress Emaa Hussen, aged 34, has been apprehended and accused of trying to transport 320kg of methamphetamine into Australia. She faced a Sydney court appearance on June 18, with the potential penalty for her alleged offense being a life imprisonment term.
Renowned for her portrayal of Naz Mehmet in a spinoff of the popular TV series EastEnders – E20, the actress is suspected of concealing meth within charcoal bags that were shipped from Ghana to Australia. The illicit substances, valued at £157 million, were intercepted by authorities at Port Botany. Additionally, two individuals from Adelaide were arrested in April in connection with the same incident. Hussen’s next court hearing is scheduled for August, and she has been denied bail previously.
Acting on a tip-off, Border Force Officers intercepted a shipment bound for a storage facility in Girraween. Upon investigation, they allegedly discovered a “white crystallised substance” inside charcoal bags within two separate shipping containers. Although the items were labeled as charcoal bags from Ghana, further testing revealed the presence of methamphetamine.
According to the BBC, the 34-year-old actress purportedly oversaw the unpacking of these bags by certain individuals, who then transported the contents to a residence in Blacktown. Following her arrest at the location, electronic devices were confiscated. Investigators claim that the property contained 32 bags identical to those containing the seized meth.
The two other suspects from Adelaide were taken into custody for allegedly renting the storage facility under false identities.
Local law enforcement has lauded the significant drug seizure, preventing an estimated $296 million worth of drugs from reaching the streets and thwarting approximately 3.2 million potential drug deals. They highlighted the Australian Federal Police’s effectiveness in cross-border operations and their adeptness in identifying disguised illicit substances.
Emaa Hussen gained fame for her role as Naz Mehmet in the Eastenders’ spinoff, E20. Portraying the character since 2011, she played a crucial role in the show’s second series. In an interview, Hussen described her character’s internal conflict between her family’s traditional Muslim values and the contemporary lifestyle of the East End.
In a 2015 interview with the Guardian, Hussen recounted her journey to London as a refugee in 1999 at the age of eight. Born and raised in Baghdad’s Saidiya area to a half-Iranian mother, she fled Iraq due to escalating tensions following the conflict between the two countries. Her family faced financial hardships upon arrival in the UK, but Hussen eventually found solace in the Iraqi community in London, where she pursued acting.
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