Australia's Biggest Cocaine Seizure: 2.7 tonnes Raided from Underground Bunker

Tue Jun 23 2026 15:08:40 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Police seized 2.7 tonnes of cocaine—worth more than A$800 million—in the largest drug bust in Australia, discovered in an underground bunker in Londonderry, western Sydney.

Australian Federal Police confiscated 2.7 tonnes of cocaine, valued at A$816 million, from an underground bunker built into shipping containers in Londonderry, western Sydney. The raid, part of Operation Minjiang, followed a 40 kg float off a boat ramp in Midge Point, North Queensland, and a suspected mother vessel detained in the Solomon Islands. Two men aged 21 and 25 were arrested and face life imprisonment. The bust illustrates the scale of organised crime smuggling into Australia and the country’s lucrative drug market.

Australia's Biggest Cocaine Seizure: 2.7 tonnes Raided from Underground Bunker

Two men, aged 21 and 25, were arrested at the scene

Australian Federal Police confiscated 2.7 tonnes of cocaine—worth an estimated A$816 million—from a hidden underground bunker that was built beneath false floors in three shipping containers at a property in Londonderry, western Sydney.

Law enforcement officers uncovered the stash on Friday, following a May launch of "Operation Minjiang" that had been triggered after 40 kg of cocaine was spotted floating in water off a boat ramp at Midge Point, North Queensland.

Two men, aged 21 and 25, who allegedly tried to flee from police, were arrested at the scene and later appeared in court on Saturday. They face life in prison if convicted of possessing a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported border‑controlled drug.

The cocaine is believed to have been smuggled into Australia via Midge Point on the orders of an organised crime group. An alleged "mother vessel" suspected of belonging to the smuggling operation was also detained in the Solomon Islands.

Australia remains a lucrative marketplace for illicit drugs, with cocaine fetching around A$300 per gram according to an illegal drugs monitoring system run by the University of New South Wales. Australians and New Zealanders have the highest cocaine use rates worldwide, per the UN World Drug Report.

Commander Stephen Jay of the Australian Federal Police said the incident illustrates how highly organised and determined these criminal networks are, and the extreme lengths they will go to pursue profit. He added that investigations into the drugs’ origin remain ongoing and will be pursued in partnership with domestic and international law enforcement allies.

By Helen Livingstone – Sydney | 22 June 2026