More than $5 billion in illicit drugs have been burned this year as part of the Australian Federal Police's drug destruction program.
Drugs weighing more than 25 tonnes - equivalent to the weight of four large adult male African elephants - have been destroyed at specialised furnaces across the country in temperatures of up to 1400 degrees.
Illicit substances including methamphetamine, MDMA and amphetamines dominated the burning load with nearly 20 tonnes destroyed this year.
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While 1.3 tonnes of cocaine and 2.2 tonnes of cannabis and cannabis-related products went up in smoke.
The furnaces vaporise the drugs into steam that is channeled through a series of filtration systems until it is harmlessly released.
The drug destruction programs follow the AFP preventing transnational organised criminals from attempting to import drugs into Australia in 2021.
AFP Crime Command Detective Superintendent Russel Smith said the furnaces had vaporised the profits of organised crime gangs.
"The AFP has vaporised more than $5 billion of profit that was destined to line the pockets of the nation's most dangerous organised criminal gangs, including outlaw motorcycle gangs," he said.
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"This is a major hit to the balance sheets of these criminals and puts pressure on every aspect of their operations."
The 4.3 tonnes of methamphetamine destroyed this year had an estimated street value of nearly $3.9 billion.
The 1.3 tonnes of cocaine destroyed was valued at $533 million and the AFP also burned $349 million worth of heroin and $165 million worth of cannabis.
"The AFP will aggressively pursue anyone trying to spread misery on our streets in order to protect the community which pays the price for the greed of these criminal gangs," Superintendent Smith said.
"The 30 tonnes of illicit substances that the AFP has destroyed this year had the potential to cause massive damage to our communities through violence and long-term health impacts, which disproportionately affect the young and vulnerable."
Heavily-armed AFP members monitor every step of the destruction process and remain on-site until every ounce of the drugs has been destroyed.
Every gram of illicit drugs seized by the AFP gets destroyed once it is properly documented for court purposes.
