UK actress Emaa Hussen, aged 34, has been taken into custody and charged with an alleged attempt to transport 320kg of methamphetamine into Australia. The incident unfolded in a Sydney court session held on June 18, with the potential penalty for the offense being a life sentence.
Renowned for her portrayal of Naz Mehmet in a derivative series of the popular TV show EastEnders – E20, the actress is facing accusations of concealing meth within charcoal bags that were shipped from Ghana to Australia. Authorities intercepted the illicit substances, valued at £157 million, at Port Botany. Additionally, two individuals from Adelaide were apprehended in April in connection with the same case. Hussen is scheduled to reappear in court in August, having been denied bail previously.
The arrest stemmed from a tip received by Border Force Officers regarding a consignment slated for a storage facility in Girraween. Acting on the tip, officers reportedly detected a “white crystallised substance” in bags during x-ray scans of two separate shipping containers. Although the cargo was labeled as charcoal bags from Ghana, subsequent analysis confirmed the presence of methamphetamine.
Allegedly, the 34-year-old actress oversaw a group of men unloading the bags and transporting them to a residence in Blacktown, where she was later apprehended, and electronic devices were seized. Investigators claim that a search of the property led to the discovery of 32 identical bags to those containing the meth.
The two other suspects from Adelaide were reportedly involved in renting the storage facility under false identities.
Local law enforcement officials hailed the significant drug seizure, estimating the street value of the confiscated drugs at $296 million. They emphasized that the interception prevented a potential 3.2 million drug transactions from infiltrating Australian streets, showcasing the efficacy of cross-border law enforcement efforts.
Hussen gained prominence for her role as Naz Mehmet in the Eastenders’ spinoff, E20, starting in 2011. She played a pivotal character in the show’s second series. In a prior interview, Hussen elaborated on her character’s inner conflicts between her family’s traditional Muslim values and the modern East End lifestyle she navigates.
Furthermore, she appeared in the 2013 film Hummingbird alongside Jason Statham, portraying a prostitute. Her IMDB profile lists her sole credit as starring in The Plot to Bring Down Britain’s Planes in 2012.
In a 2015 interview with the Guardian, Hussen recounted her refugee experience arriving in London from Baghdad in 1999 at the age of eight. She detailed the perilous circumstances that prompted her family to flee Iran-Iraq conflict-related dangers, leading to their migration to the UK with forged passports.
The challenges of assimilation and cultural identity crises marked her early years in the UK, eventually finding solace and community in London’s Iraqi expatriate circles, where she pursued acting.
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