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Australia Seizes Record 2.7 Tonnes of Cocaine in Sydney

Hidden under false container floors and in underground bunkers, the shipment reveals a maritime smuggling route that could have earned organised criminals roughly A$816 million.

Overview

  • Investigators uncovered 2.7 tonnes of cocaine on a property in Londonderry, western Sydney, with the drugs stored in plastic boxes beneath false floors of shipping containers and in underground bunkers.
  • Two men aged 21 and 25 were arrested at the scene after trying to flee and face charges for possession of a commercial quantity of illegally imported drugs that can carry life sentences.
  • The police estimate the seized cocaine was worth about A$816 million on the street and equated to roughly three million retail deals.
  • Combined with earlier May seizures of 178 kg of cocaine and 142 kg of methamphetamine, authorities have removed more than three tonnes of illegal drugs in the operation.
  • Federal investigators have launched a special taskforce, detained the suspected supply vessel for inspection, and say tracing the shipment’s origin will require extended international cooperation to dismantle the organised trafficking network.