3 min readJun 22, 2026 02:07 PM IST
First published on: Jun 22, 2026 at 02:07 PM IST
The Australian Federal Police seized their largest ever haul of cocaine – 2.7 tonnes of cocaine – during an investigation into an organised crime plot to import and distribute border-controlled drugs along the country’s east coast, on Friday (June 19).
The seizure was a part of Operation Minjiang, a Queensland Joint Organised Crime Taskforce investigation. It follows the previous seizure of 178 kg of cocaine and 142 kg of methamphetamine, representing a total seizure of more than 3 tonnes of border-controlled drugs.
According to the joint media release by the Queensland Joint Organised Crime Taskforce agencies, the estimated street value of this amount of cocaine would amount to about $816 million and equates to almost three million street-level deals.
Police executed a search warrant at a semi-rural property in Londonderry, near western Sydney. While inspecting three shipping containers near the rear, the cocaine was recovered from plastic tubs buried in underground bunkers covered by false container floors.
Two men, aged 21 and 25, tried to flee the spot but were arrested and charged with possession of a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported border-controlled drug. They appeared before a local court on Saturday, and are expected to appear before Penrith Local Court on August 13, 2026.
The net of organised crime
The seized cocaine will be charged by the police as imported into Australia near Midge Point, in North Queensland, and transported to Sydney by an organised crime group, investigations into which are ongoing.
In May 2026, 40kg of cocaine was discovered in the water near a boat ramp at Midge Point, after reports of a burnt-out flatbed truck. Investigations identified the owner, which led to the execution of a chain of search warrants, including the one in Sydney.
Six people were arrested and charged last week for various offences related to the possession of illicit drugs, or conspiracy to possess them. A mother vessel, also suspected to be a part of this operation, has been detained by authorities in the Solomon Islands for further investigation.
Australia and New Zealand have the highest recorded cocaine use rates in the world, according to the latest UN World Drug Report. A report released by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) in April 2026, underlined the scale, sophistication and growth of Australia’s illicit drug markets over the past year.
Australian Federal Police Commander Stephen Jay praised the work of the team, with a warning to the criminals, saying, “Let these arrests serve as a warning to those criminal syndicates plotting attempts to bring illicit substances into our country, we stand together ready to act and disrupt your criminal activities, together with our law enforcement partners.”
(The story was written by Sneha Sharma, an intern at The Indian Express)
Representational image of illicit drugs as Australian Federal Police seize a record 2.7 tonnes of cocaine in a major organised crime crackdown. (Source: Canva) 
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