Almost half a tonne of MDMA hidden in sausage-making machines has been intercepted by Australian Federal Police (AFP) in Sydney, with three people arrested over the incident.

Described as a “sophisticated concealment”, the drugs, worth $57 million, were found hidden in the machines in containers in Sydney last month.

If pressed into ecstasy pills, the AFP said the drugs would make 1.7 million pills.

A “controlled delivery” was then conducted by the AFP, where the drugs, which originated from Turkey, were replaced with fake drug packages.

The container was delivered to a supermarket in Auburn, however police said they believed the supermarket owners were unaware that the container, which also contained chocolate bars and air fresheners, had MDMA inside.

AFP then arrested three men on Saturday at a industrial business in Clyde, in Sydney’s west.

Officers said the three men were part of a “larger syndicate” supplying drugs to the Sydney market.

The men, who appeared in court yesterday, are facing life sentences.

AFP detective superintendent Kirsty Scofield said the bust highlighted the “thirst” in the community for illicit drugs.

However she said it showed the cooperation between the AFP and the Australian Border Force.

“Within a week, we had detection at the border to arrest,” Superintendent Scofield said.

“It was only last weekend when we were talking about a 500kg cocaine seizure in Solomon Islands.

“Some of those forensic officers had just come back from Solomon Islands and they were deployed to this case.”