In brief
Australian police seized 2.7 tonnes of cocaine, the country’s largest ever raid, from an underground bunker concealed beneath shipping containers. The drugs, valued at around A$816m, were smuggled via Midge Point, North Queensland, under the direction of an organised crime group. Two men, aged 21 and 25, who tried to escape the police, were arrested and face possible life sentences. The operation, dubbed "Operation Minjiang", led to additional arrests across Queensland and New South Wales, and highlighted Australia’s role as a lucrative drug market.
Australian police have seized 2.7 tonnes of cocaine – the country's largest ever such bust – from an underground bunker system in western Sydney.
2.7 tonnes of the drug, with an estimated street value of A$816 million, were uncovered Friday in false‑floor compartments beneath three shipping containers at a property in Londonderry.
Two men aged 21 and 25, who allegedly attempted to flee the police, were arrested on the scene and charged with possessing a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported border-controlled drug.
Police say the cocaine was smuggled into Australia via the small town of Midge Point in North Queensland on the orders of an organised crime group.
The two men were remanded in custody after appearing in court on Saturday and face life in prison if convicted.
The raid on the Londonderry property was part of “Operation Minjiang”, launched in May after 40 kg of cocaine was found floating in the water off a boat ramp at Midge Point.
Another six people in Queensland and New South Wales were arrested and charged as part of investigations sparked by the find, police said last week.
An alleged “mother vessel” suspected of being part of the smuggling operation has also been detained in Solomon Islands.
Despite its remoteness, Australia is a lucrative market for the drugs trade, with cocaine typically fetching around A$300 per gram, according to an illegal drugs monitoring system run by the University of New South Wales.
Australians and New Zealanders also have the highest cocaine use rates in the world, according to last year's UN World Drug Report.
Australian Federal Police Commander Stephen Jay said the alleged plot showed "how highly organised and determined these criminal networks are, and the extreme lengths they are willing to go in pursuit of profit."
"Investigations into the origin of the drugs remain ongoing, and we will work with our international and domestic law enforcement partners to identify the criminal syndicates and anyone else involved in facilitating this alleged attempted drug import," he added.
