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Australian police officers have seized a record 2.7 tonnes of cocaine hidden in plastic tubs buried underground on the outskirts of Sydney.
The discovery was made on Friday at a property in Londonderry, a semi-rural area in northwestern Sydney, as part of a joint organised crime investigation, police said on Monday.
Police allege a Sydney-based organised crime group arranged for a foreign vessel to offload the drugs in northern Queensland before transporting them to Sydney for distribution.
Australian Federal Police Commander Stephen Jay said investigations are ongoing to trace the source of the drugs and dismantle the network behind the operation.
“Investigations into the origin of the drugs remain ongoing, and we will work with our international and domestic law enforcement partners to identify the criminal syndicates,” he said.
Police said the cocaine was found buried in underground bunkers concealed with false floors at the back of the property.
Two men, aged 21 and 25, were arrested after allegedly attempting to flee the scene and have been charged with possession of a commercial quantity of unlawfully imported drugs, an offence that carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Six other suspects linked to the case had already been arrested and charged with drug-related offences.
Police stated that Australia’s high demand for cocaine has made it a target for international criminal networks operating across South America and Southeast Asia.
Recent data from the Penington Institute showed cocaine-related deaths in Australia rose by 28 percent to a record 141 in 2024, highlighting the growing impact of the drug trade.
