Australian police seize record 2.7 tonnes of cocaine

Australian police have seized a record 2.7 tonnes of cocaine, discovered in plastic tubs buried in underground bunkers on the outskirts of Sydney. The haul, announced on June 22, marks the largest cocaine seizure in Australian history, according to a joint organized crime investigation force.

Authorities allege that a Sydney-based organized crime group orchestrated the operation. The cocaine was reportedly offloaded from a foreign vessel in northern Queensland before being transported to Sydney for distribution. Investigations into the drugs' origin and the involved criminal networks are ongoing, with law enforcement collaborating internationally and domestically.

The discovery was made on June 19 at a property in Londonderry, a semi-rural suburb in Sydney's northwest. The cocaine was concealed within underground bunkers, covered by false floors. Police arrested two men, aged 21 and 25, who allegedly attempted to flee the scene. Both face charges of possessing a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported drug, an offense carrying a potential life sentence.

This record seizure comes amid a backdrop of high drug prices in Australia, attracting sophisticated criminal networks from Southeast Asia to South America. Cocaine-related deaths in Australia surged by 28 percent to a record 141 in 2024, according to a recent report by the Penington Institute. Six other individuals allegedly connected to the operation have already been arrested and charged with related offenses.

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Investigations into the origin of the drugs remain ongoing, and we will work with our international and domestic law enforcement partners to identify the criminal syndicates.