In brief
The Australian Federal Police dismantled a clandestine bunker in Londonderry, uncovering 2.7 tonnes of cocaine hidden beneath false floors of shipping containers. The drugs, valued at roughly A$816 million, marked the largest quantity seized in Australia. Two suspects aged 21 and 25 were arrested and face life imprisonment. The raid is part of Operation Minjiang, following earlier finds of 40 kg of cocaine off Midge Point, and a suspected mother vessel has been detained in the Solomon Islands.
Australian Federal Police (AFP) seized 2.7 tonnes of cocaine from an underground bunker in western Sydney, a haul worth about A$816 million (≈£433 m). The robbery is the biggest drug bust in the nation’s history.
The cocaine was hidden beneath false floors inside three shipping containers at a property in Londonderry. Police discovered the concealed compartments after a comprehensive raid.
Two men, aged 21 and 25, were apprehended on scene after allegedly attempting to flee. Both face charges of possessing a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported border‑controlled drug and may receive life imprisonment if convicted.
AFP reports the drugs were smuggled through Midge Point in North Queensland on orders from an organised crime syndicate. The Operation Minjiang raid was launched in May after 40 kg of cocaine was found floating off Midge Point’s boat ramp.
A sixth arrest in Queensland and another in New South Wales followed the initial discovery. AFP also detained a suspected “mother vessel” involved in the smuggling network in the Solomon Islands.
Cocaine typically fetches around A$300 per gram in Australia, according to the University of New South Wales illegal drugs monitoring system. The country has the highest cocaine use rates in the world, per the latest UN World Drug Report.
AFP Commander Stephen Jay said the operation revealed the “highly organised and determined” nature of these criminal networks and the extreme lengths they will go to chase profit.
Investigations into the drugs’ origin remain ongoing; AFP will work with domestic and international partners to identify all syndicate members and facilitators.
