Australian police have made the largest cocaine seizure in history, unearthing 3 tons of drugs buried underground near Sydney. The operation, led by detectives, involved an organized crime group that allegedly arranged for a foreign vessel to offload the cocaine in northern Queensland before distributing it across Sydney.
The haul was valued at over Aus$560 million in street sales, money which will not enter the pockets of criminal syndicates, according to Australian Federal Police Commander Stephen Jay. Investigations into the origin of the drugs are ongoing, with international and domestic law enforcement partners involved.
Multiple images released by police show the cocaine concealed in large containers, officers collecting evidence, and a suspect being detained. The commander emphasized that criminals often risk their lives to smuggle drugs into Australia without considering the harm caused to communities.
The alleged mother vessel, MV Wealth, has been detained in Solomon Islands for further investigation. Pacific Island states are becoming key transit points for cocaine and methamphetamine shipments from South America and Southeast Asia to Australia and New Zealand.
Police discovered the cocaine on Friday at a property in Londonderry, a suburb of Sydney. Two men aged 21 and 25 were arrested and charged with possessing large quantities of unlawfully imported drugs, carrying a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Six others involved in the importation had previously been arrested for drug-related offenses.
Cocaine-related deaths in Australia increased by 28 percent to a record 141 in 2024, according to an annual report on overdoses released this month by the Penington Institute. This seizure follows other major drug busts in Australia, including last September’s arrest of three dockworkers with over 1,000 pounds of cocaine and a December raid that seized 2.3 tons of drugs and arrested 13 people.
This latest operation also comes amid the discovery of an elaborate 2,000-foot-long drug tunnel between Mexico and California earlier this month.