In a significant law enforcement operation, Australian authorities confiscated 2.7 metric tons of cocaine on the outskirts of Sydney. This marks Australia’s largest cocaine seizure to date.
On June 19, police discovered the cocaine hidden in plastic tubs within underground bunkers beneath three shipping containers. The property was located in Londonderry, a semirural suburb in western Sydney. False floors in the containers led to the stash, with an estimated street value of 816 million Australian dollars (572 million USD).
Two men from Sydney, aged 21 and 25, were apprehended at the scene. They face charges for possessing a commercial quantity of illicit drugs, with potential life imprisonment sentences.
Australia’s previous record for cocaine seizure was 2.34 metric tons, intercepted in 2024 from a fishing boat near K’gari, Queensland’s coast. Authorities believe the cocaine found in Sydney was transported 1,800 kilometers by road from Midge Point, a location in Queensland’s tropical area.
According to police, the shipment is connected to a mother ship, suspected to be MV Wealth, now detained in Solomon Islands. The vessel, bearing the Belize flag, has been implicated in transnational organized crime. The Solomon Islands lie 2,000 kilometers northeast of Queensland.
Commander Stephen Jay of the Australian Federal Police highlighted the increasing use of Queensland’s extensive coastline for drug smuggling. Australia’s high cocaine prices make it an attractive market for traffickers.