Australian police have uncovered the country’s largest-ever cocaine seizure, confiscating 2.7 tonnes of the drug and arresting eight people.
The Australian Federal Police revealed that the massive haul was discovered during a raid last Friday at a property in Londonderry, western Sydney.
Investigators found the cocaine hidden inside plastic tubs buried in a secret underground bunker, concealed beneath false floors of shipping containers.
Police estimate the seized drugs have a street value of around $816 million, representing about three million individual street deals.
AFP Commander Stephen Jay said officers were alerted by disturbed earth near a shipping container, leading them to uncover a highly sophisticated concealment site.
Two western Sydney men, aged 21 and 25, were arrested during the raid after allegedly attempting to flee and have been charged with possessing a commercial quantity of an illegally imported border-controlled drug.
The seizure is part of Operation Minjiang, an ongoing investigation into an organised crime network suspected of importing cocaine into Australia.
Police believe the drugs were brought into the country near Midge Point in North Queensland before being transported to Sydney. Investigations into the alleged criminal group are continuing.
Authorities say the major operation follows earlier arrests of six people linked to drug offences, while a suspected drug-carrying vessel remains detained in the Solomon Islands for further investigation.
