The methamphetamine - some 183 kilograms worth - was packed into 19 out of 27 sea kayaks in a shipping container, a joint police and customs statement said. 

Five people, including four Taiwanese nationals, were arrested in Sydney.

The drugs were found on February 5 when customs officers X-rayed the container.

The joint statement from the Australian Federal Police and Australian Customs and Border Protection Service said: "This inspection revealed anomalies with the consignment of 27 sea kayaks. The examination revealed 19 of the 27 kayaks contained packages of a white crystallised substance.  Initial testing of the substance returned a positive reading for methamphetamine.”

As part of a sting operation, the container was then delivered to a storage facility in Hillside and the Taiwanese nationals were arrested after they "allegedly accessed the kayaks to retrieve the concealed substance".

A fifth man was later arrested.

“No matter the concealment, Customs and Border Protection has the technologies and systems to identify attempts to breach the border,” ACBPS Regional Director NSW, Tim Fitzgerald, said.

“By working with the Australian Federal Police, we have again stopped criminals seeking to damage our communities.”

The group face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. 

Image via Thinkstock