In the latest blow to illicit trade, Australian police seized a record‑breaking 2.7 tonnes of cocaine from a clandestine bunker in western Sydney. The drug stored under false floors inside three shipping containers at a Londonderry property was hidden in a sophisticated underground system.
Local officials estimate the haul’s street value at A$816 million (≈£433 million, €500 million). The operation, named Operation Minjiang, was launched in May following a 40‑kg cocaine discovery off the water at Midge Point in North Queensland.
Two men, aged 21 and 25, attempted to flee but were apprehended on‑scene. They face charges of possessing a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported drug and may receive life imprisonment.
Additional investigations tied the shipment to an organised syndicate operating out of Midge Point. Six more suspects in Queensland and New South Wales were arrested, and a suspected mother vessel was detained in the Solomon Islands.
Australian Federal Police Commander Stephen Jay described the operation as proof of “the highly organised and determined nature of these criminal networks” and stressed ongoing cooperation with international partners to dismantle the syndicates.
Australia’s high per‑gram cocaine price—around A$300—combined with frequent use rates among Australians and New Zealanders, amplifies the stakes of tackling the trade.
