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Record stash of cocaine found buried underground in Australia

Record stash of cocaine found buried underground in Australia

Summary

Australian police found and seized a record 3 tons of cocaine hidden in underground bunkers near Sydney. The drugs were part of a large organized crime operation involving a foreign ship that offloaded cocaine in northern Queensland before moving it to Sydney.

Key Facts

  • Police discovered 3 tons of cocaine buried in plastic tubs underground in Londonderry, near Sydney.
  • This seizure is the largest cocaine haul ever in Australian history.
  • The cocaine would have been worth over Aus$800 million (about $560 million) if sold on the streets.
  • Two men aged 21 and 25 were arrested at the scene, charged with possessing a commercial quantity of imported drugs.
  • Six more people had already been arrested in connection with the operation, including a woman living at a suspected safehouse.
  • Authorities detained a ship named MV Wealth in the Solomon Islands linked to the drug importation.
  • Pacific Islands are being used as transit points for drugs coming from South America and Southeast Asia to Australia and New Zealand.
  • Cocaine-related deaths in Australia increased by 28% in 2024, reaching a record 141 deaths.
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