Australian police have seized 2.7 metric tons (3 tons) of cocaine in the largest drug bust in the nation’s history, authorities announced on Monday.
The narcotic, cocaine was discovered on June 19th at a semi-rural property in Londonderry, on Sydney’s western outskirts.
According to the Queensland Joint Organised Crime Taskforce, the drugs were concealed in plastic containers buried in underground bunkers beneath three shipping containers fitted with false floors that provided access to the stash.
Police estimate the cocaine has a street value of approximately A$816 million (US$572 million).
Two Sydney men, aged 21 and 25, were arrested at the property and charged with possessing a commercial quantity of an illicit drug. If convicted, they could face life imprisonment.
The seizure surpasses Australia’s previous record cocaine bust of 2.34 metric tons, which was intercepted from a fishing vessel near K’gari (formerly Fraser Island) off the Queensland coast in 2024.
Australia remains a highly attractive destination for drug traffickers because cocaine commands some of the highest prices in the world on the Australian market.
