In a landmark crackdown on transnational organized drug trafficking, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) have seized 2.7 tonnes of cocaine from a covert underground bunker network in Sydney’s west — marking the largest single cocaine bust in the nation’s history. The massive haul, which has an estimated street value of A$816 million (equivalent to £433 million or €500 million), was discovered on Friday at a rural property in Londonderry. Investigators found the narcotics hidden in custom-built underground bunkers, cleverly concealed under false flooring installed inside three large shipping containers on the site.
Two men, aged 21 and 25, were taken into custody at the property immediately after the raid. Authorities say the pair attempted to evade arrest by fleeing from law enforcement officers as they moved in to execute the search warrant. Both suspects have been formally charged with possession of a commercial quantity of unlawfully imported border-controlled drugs. They appeared before a local court on Saturday, where they were remanded into custody. If convicted on the charges, the two men face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
According to AFP briefings, the seizure is the result of an ongoing coordinated investigation codenamed Operation Minjiang, which was launched back in May. The operation was triggered after 40kg of cocaine was found adrift in waters near a boat ramp in the small coastal town of Midge Point, North Queensland. Investigative tracking from that initial discovery linked the discarded drugs to the larger smuggling syndicate operating across Queensland and New South Wales.
Last week, law enforcement announced that six additional people across Queensland and New South Wales had already been arrested and charged in connection with the conspiracy. On an international level, an alleged “mother vessel” believed to have been used to transport the cocaine shipment as part of the smuggling plot has also been detained by authorities in the Solomon Islands.
AFP Commander Stephen Jay emphasized in a statement that the foiled plot lays bare the sophisticated operation of transnational criminal groups targeting Australia. “This alleged plot demonstrates how highly organised and determined these criminal networks are, and the extreme lengths they are willing to go to in pursuit of profit,” Jay said. He confirmed that inquiries into the exact origin of the cocaine shipment remain active and ongoing. “We will continue to work closely with our international and domestic law enforcement partners to identify all members of the criminal syndicates and any other parties involved in facilitating this alleged attempted drug import,” he added.