Australia's biggest cocaine seizure: 2.7 tonnes found buried under Sydney property

Australian federal police have made what they are calling the largest cocaine seizure in the country's history, uncovering 2.7 tonnes of the drug buried in underground bunkers at a property on Sydney's western fringes. The discovery was made Friday at a semi-rural property in Londonderry.

Police arrested and charged two men, aged 21 and 25, with possessing a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported border-controlled drug. Authorities allege the cocaine was found in plastic tubs concealed beneath three shipping containers on the property. The estimated street value of the seized cocaine is approximately $816 million, which police equate to about 3 million street-level deals.

The investigation, dubbed Operation Minjiang, is a joint effort involving the Australian Federal Police, Queensland police, and the Australian Border Force. Police allege the cocaine was imported near Midge Point in north Queensland and transported to Sydney on behalf of a local organized crime group. The operation began after 40 kilograms of cocaine were found in the water off Midge Point on the Whitsunday Coast.

As part of the ongoing investigation, an alleged "mother vessel" suspected of being involved in the drug importation enterprise, the MV Wealth, has been detained in the Solomon Islands. The two men arrested on Friday have appeared in court and been remanded in custody, with their next court appearance scheduled for August 13.