Law enforcement agencies in Australia have made history with the largest cocaine seizure ever in Australia: 2.7 tonnes of cocaine were hidden inside shipping containers with false bottom floors on a semi-rural property in western Sydney. According to the Australian Federal Police (AFP), the cocaine seizure was part of Operation Minjiang, a big investigation into organized crime by the Queensland Joint Organized Crime Taskforce, which has so far led to the seizure of about 3 tonnes of drugs that are controlled at the border, including this 2.7 tonnes of cocaine, along with two earlier seizures of 178 kilograms of cocaine, 142 kilograms of methamphetamine, and 2 kilograms of other drugs.
The discovery of the 2.7 tonnes of cocaine was far from typical; the cocaine was packaged into plastic tubs and then buried inside underground bunkers (over the top of which were built shipping containers), with the containers having false bottom floors, as a result of intelligence from a search warrant executed on 19 June 2026. Two males, aged 21 and 25, were arrested while reportedly trying to run away on foot and are facing imprisonment for a period of up to life if they are found guilty. Both have since been remanded in custody after appearing at court on 20 June 2026.
Drug trafficking allegations stem from a drug importation near Midge Point, North Queensland, which was later transported to Sydney by a crime syndicate. The investigation began in May after police discovered approximately 40 kg of cocaine floating in the water by a boat ramp at Midge Point, following the investigation into a burnt-out flatbed truck, which opened a larger intelligence investigation spanning Queensland and New South Wales. A commercial mother vessel named MV Wealth was also seized in the Solomon Islands, and multiple search warrants were executed across Queensland and New South Wales.
The financial contrast between what police seized and an estimated street value of A$816 million (around US$571.6 million, as per the Reserve Bank of Australia’s exchange rate AUD 1 = 0.7005 USD on 19 June 2026) is enormous. Authorities have also estimated the value of the seized drugs could have been equivalent to creating approximately three million street-level drug transactions had they reached the marketplace.
The case is a strong example of how advanced transnational organized crime groups have become, using complex logistics, hidden storage, and transportation across states to move illegal goods successfully. Additionally, the investigation provides law enforcement with an equally clear message: the Australian drug market remains highly profitable, but law enforcement is tightening its noose around Australian drug markets quickly.
