British actress Emaa Hussen, best known for her role as Naz in the EastEnders spin-off E20, has been charged in Australia over her alleged involvement in a major drug trafficking operation linked to Ghana.
The 34-year-old appeared before a Sydney court on Thursday after authorities accused her of attempting to import a commercial quantity of methamphetamine into the country, an offence that carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
According to Australian authorities, Hussen is alleged to have been part of a scheme involving the importation of approximately 320 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed in bags of charcoal shipped from Ghana. The seized drugs are estimated to have a street value of A$296 million. Investigators launched an operation in April after border officials detected suspicious irregularities in two shipping containers that arrived at Sydney’s Port Botany.
Further examinations reportedly uncovered a crystalline substance hidden within the charcoal shipments, which later tested positive for methamphetamine. Police claim Hussen visited a storage facility where the containers had been delivered and supervised the unloading process before several bags were transported to another location. She was later arrested at a residence in Blacktown, where officers also seized electronic devices and documents believed to be relevant to the investigation.
The case has also led to the arrest of a man and woman from Adelaide, who are accused of using false identities to rent the storage facilities connected to the shipment. Authorities say the seizure prevented millions of potential drug transactions from reaching Australian communities. Hussen, who also appeared alongside Jason Statham in the 2013 action thriller Hummingbird (Redemption), has been denied bail and is expected to return to court in August.
