Australian Police Seize Record A$816 Million Cocaine Shipment in Sydney

Australian police have seized 2.7 tonnes of cocaine in what authorities describe as the country’s largest drug bust, uncovering the drugs in an underground bunker system in western Sydney, Helen Livingstone reported for BBC News.

Authorities estimate the cocaine’s street value at approximately A$816 million (about £433 million; €500 million). (Photo: Australian Federal Police)

Two men, aged 21 and 25, were arrested after allegedly attempting to flee police.

They have been charged with possessing a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported border-controlled drug and face life imprisonment if convicted.

Authorities estimate the cocaine’s street value at approximately A$816 million (about £433 million; €500 million). Police allege the drugs were smuggled into Australia via Midge Point in northern Queensland as part of an organized crime operation.

The raid was conducted as part of Operation Minjiang, which began in May after 40 kilograms of cocaine were discovered floating near a boat ramp in Midge Point.

Additional arrests have since been made across Queensland and New South Wales.

Police also reported that an alleged “mother vessel” linked to the smuggling operation has been detained in the Solomon Islands.