22/06/2026
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22/06/2026
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SYDNEY, Jun 22: Australian police say they have made the country’s largest-ever cocaine seizure after discovering nearly three tonnes of the drug buried beneath a semi-rural property in north-west Sydney.
Australian Federal Police said officers found 2.7 tonnes of cocaine , with an estimated street value of $816 million , hidden in plastic tubs beneath shipping containers at a property in Londonderry on Friday.
The drugs were allegedly concealed in underground bunkers covered by false container flooring.
Two men, aged 21 and 25 , were arrested at the scene after allegedly attempting to flee when police arrived. They have been charged with possessing a commercial quantity of an illicit drug, an offence that carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment .
The men were refused bail on Saturday and are expected to appear in Penrith Local Court on 13 August .
Police allege the men were low-level operatives in a larger organised crime network linked to the so-called Coconut Cartel , which authorities say includes former members of a prominent Sydney crime family.
AFP Commander Stephen Jay said the scale of the alleged operation showed the reach and determination of organised crime groups.
“This alleged plot to distribute nearly three tonnes of cocaine demonstrates how highly organised and determined these criminal networks are,” Jay said.
He added that authorities would continue working to identify those involved in the alleged importation and distribution network.
The seizure was part of Operation Minjiang , a multi-agency taskforce based in Queensland targeting drug trafficking along Australia’s east coast.
Since the operation began in May, police have seized more than three tonnes of illicit drugs , including 178 kilograms of cocaine and 142 kilograms of methamphetamine , in addition to Friday’s haul.
Investigators allege the cocaine found in Sydney was imported into Australia near Midge Point in north Queensland before being transported south under the direction of a Sydney-based organised crime group.
The investigation began after Queensland police found 40 kilograms of cocaine in the water near the Midge Point boat ramp in May, following reports of a burned-out flatbed truck. Six people were later charged with offences including drug possession and dealing with proceeds of crime.
Authorities said the suspected “mother vessel” used in the importation, the MV Wealth , has been detained in the Solomon Islands for further investigation. The vessel is registered in Belize, though police said the origin of the drugs remains under investigation.
Queensland Police Acting Chief Superintendent Troy Pukallus praised officers involved in the operation.
“What began with the actions of Mackay police evolved into a sophisticated, multi-agency investigation targeting an organised criminal network,” he said.
Police described the Sydney seizure as the largest cocaine bust in Australian history and the country’s biggest drug seizure since 4.5 tonnes of MDMA were intercepted in Melbourne in 2007.
