Australia's largest cocaine seizure, 2.7 tonnes found in Sydney bust

Police found 2.7 tonnes of cocaine worth an estimated A$816 million hidden inside a semi-rural property in Londonderry, near western Sydney, in a bust Australian Federal Police say is the largest cocaine seizure in the country’s history. The drugs were packed in plastic tubs, buried in underground bunkers and concealed by false floors inside three shipping containers at the rear of the property, a layout that points to industrial-scale storage rather than a casual stash.

The seizure was the product of Operation Minjiang, a Queensland Joint Organised Crime Taskforce investigation that began in May 2026 after Queensland Police responded to a burnt-out flatbed truck near Midge Point in North Queensland and found 40 kilograms of cocaine in the water off a boat ramp. Investigators later linked that discovery to a broader importation scheme, and police allege the cocaine was brought into Australia near Midge Point before being transported to Sydney at the behest of a Sydney organised crime group. Earlier phases of the same investigation also led to the seizure of 178 kilograms of cocaine and 142 kilograms of methamphetamine, bringing the total border-controlled drugs seized to more than 3 tonnes.

The scale of the Londonderry hide made clear how sophisticated the supply chain had become. AFP Commander Stephen Jay described the bunker system as a “complex hide”, and said the Londonderry and Brisbane seizures formed part of the same importation, with a potential street value of more than A$1 billion. Police estimate the 2.7-tonne haul alone equates to about three million street-level deals, underscoring how a single shipment can feed a vast retail market even when a major load is intercepted.

Two men, a 21-year-old from Plumpton and a 25-year-old from Liverpool, allegedly tried to flee on foot when officers arrived at the property. Both were arrested and charged with possessing a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported border-controlled drug under the Criminal Code (Cth), an offence that carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. They appeared before a NSW Local Court on Saturday and were remanded in custody ahead of a further appearance at Penrith Local Court on 13 August 2026.

Police said six people in total have now been identified, arrested and charged in connection with the alleged criminal import enterprise. The case shows how cocaine logistics now stretch from remote access points in North Queensland to fortified storage sites on Sydney’s fringe, and how enforcement pressure is increasingly aimed at the infrastructure of the trade, not just the shipment found inside it.