Largest ever cocaine bust in Australia after police raid underground bunker

Australian police have made the country's largest ever cocaine bust, seizing 2.7 tonnes of the drug valued at an estimated A$816 million. The cocaine was discovered on Friday in an underground bunker system at a property in Londonderry, western Sydney, concealed within shipping containers. Two men, aged 21 and 25, were arrested at the scene and charged with possessing a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported border-controlled drug. Police believe the cocaine was smuggled into Australia on the orders of an organised crime group, with initial investigations stemming from a previous discovery of 40kg of cocaine in North Queensland. The operation, dubbed "Operation Minjiang," has also led to six other arrests in Queensland and New South Wales, and an alleged "mother vessel" has been detained in the Solomon Islands.

Australian federal police have made what they describe as the country's largest ever cocaine seizure, discovering 2.7 tonnes of the drug buried in underground bunkers at a property in Londonderry, west of Sydney. The operation, part of a joint investigation, led to the arrest and charging of two men, aged 21 and 25, for possessing a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported border-controlled drug. Police allege the cocaine, with an estimated street value of $816 million, was imported into Australia near Midge Point, Queensland, and transported to Sydney for an organized crime group. The investigation began after 40kg of cocaine was found off a boat ramp in Midge Point, and a suspected "mother vessel" has been detained in the Solomon Islands. The two arrested men have been remanded in custody.

Australian police have seized a record 2.7 tonnes of cocaine, the largest cocaine haul in Australian history, found buried in plastic tubs underground on the outskirts of Sydney. Detectives announced the discovery on Monday, stating the drugs were found on Friday in underground bunkers concealed by false floors at a property in Londonderry. A joint organised crime investigation force alleges a Sydney-based group arranged for a foreign vessel to offload the cocaine in northern Queensland before transporting it to Sydney for distribution. The estimated street value of the seized drugs is A$816 million (US$571 million). Investigations into the origin of the cocaine and the involved criminal syndicates are ongoing, with police collaborating with international and domestic law enforcement partners.