Vic: SARS drugs stolen in error: police

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Vic: SARS drugs stolen in error: police

By Cath McAloon and Adam Morton

MELBOURNE, April 28 AAP - Police believe $300,000 of medicine used to treat SARS, founddumped in a Melbourne street, was stolen by mistake.

The drugs which went missing from a Melbourne dock last Monday were destined for SARS-ravagedSouth-East Asia.

After pleading for information to help solve the theft, police today recovered thedrugs intact inside a shipping container in a Footscray street, in Melbourne's inner west.

Detective Senior Constable Adrian Smith said it appeared the container was stolen by mistake.

"The box has been opened up and whoever stole it has realised they've stolen the wrongcontainer and left it here," Const Smith said.

He said police were alerted to the abandoned container by a member of the public andbelieved it had been sitting in the area for almost a week.

A man used false documents to collect the six-metre refrigerated container carryingSalmeterol and Beclomethasone - generic versions of drugs used to treat respiratory illness.

It was three days before customs officials realised the documents were not valid andnotified police.

While the thieves were not looking for the Salmeterol and Beclomethasone medicationfound inside, Const Smith said they were after pharmaceuticals.

"Usually with refrigerated containers the manifest only indicates the fact that it'seither hazardous materials or in this case pharmaceuticals or prawns or foodstuffs," hesaid.

"Someone certainly targeted pharmaceuticals."

He said the cargo's distributors would inspect the medicines, but early indicationssuggested none were removed.

"It appears at this stage the contents of the container were all intact. The seal onthe container has been broken and at this stage we haven't located the seal," Const Smithsaid.

However, he said it was not known whether the drugs, which were exposed to the elementsfor almost a week, would be ruined.

"I don't know whether our climate has prevented the cargo from being damaged, but therefrigerated unit wasn't running," Const Smith said.

AAP clm/dk/ph/br

KEYWORD: SARS AUST THEFT NIGHTLEAD (WITH PIX)