Record Cocaine Seizure in Australia Highlights Drug Trafficking Challenges

Police in Australia have uncovered the country’s largest ever cocaine seizure, totaling 2.7 metric tons (3 tons), on the outskirts of Sydney. The operation took place on June 19, according to officials, who announced the discovery on Monday. The cocaine was hidden in plastic tubs within underground bunkers beneath three shipping containers at a semirural property in Londonderry, western Sydney. The Queensland Joint Organized Crime Taskforce reported this significant find.

The shipping containers featured false floors, providing access to the concealed cocaine, which authorities estimate could fetch 816 million Australian dollars ($572 million) on the street. Two men, aged 21 and 25 and Sydney residents, were arrested at the scene. They are charged with possessing a commercial quantity of an illicit drug and could face life sentences.

This seizure surpasses Australia’s previous cocaine record, which was 2.34 metric tons (2.58 tons) discovered in 2024 on a fishing boat off Queensland state. Police believe the recent haul arrived by boat at Midge Point, located in the remote Queensland tropics. A Sydney crime group allegedly transported the cocaine 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles) by road to the city.

Police suspect the shipment is connected to the same mother ship associated with a prior seizure of 178 kilograms (392 pounds) of cocaine in Queensland. Six people have faced charges related to that cocaine and an additional 142 kilograms (313 pounds) of methamphetamine found during the investigation. Authorities identified MV Wealth, a Belize-flagged cargo ship, as the mother ship. It has been detained in the Solomon Islands due to suspected involvement in transnational organized crime. These islands are 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) northeast of Queensland.

Australian Federal Police Commander Stephen Jay highlighted the growing trend of organized crime groups targeting Queensland’s extensive 13,000-kilometer (8,000-mile) coastline for drug smuggling activities. The high cost of cocaine in Australia makes it an attractive market for traffickers.