Australia Police Seize 2.7 Tonnes of Cocaine in Largest Ever Bust

Australian Federal Police seized 2.7  tonnes of cocaine – the biggest drug arrest in Australia's history – from an underground bunker system beneath false floors of three shipping containers at a property in Londonderry, western Sydney.

The seized cocaine has an estimated street value of A$816 million (about £433 million or €500 million). Two men, aged 21 and 25, were arrested at the scene after an alleged attempt to flee and are now charged with possession of a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported border‑controlled drug. Both men have been remanded in custody and face potential life sentences.

Police say the drugs were smuggled in via the small town of Midge Point in North Queensland on instructions from an organised crime group. The raid was part of "Operation Minjiang", launched in May after 40 kg of cocaine was discovered floating in the water off a boat ramp at Midge Point. Additional arrests in Queensland and New South Wales followed, and a suspected "mother vessel" linked to the smuggling network has been detained in the Solomon Islands.

Commissioner Stephen Jay emphasised that the operation reveals "how highly organised and determined these criminal networks are, and the extreme lengths they are willing to go to in pursuit of profit." Ongoing investigations will continue to trace the drugs’ origins and cooperate with both domestic and international law‑enforcement partners.