Attack on an underground smuggler’s lair
Police in western Sydney discovered a network of secret rooms beneath false floors in three shipping containers. Inside were stacks of large plastic bags that, after analysis, contained 2.7 tonnes of cocaine.
The drugs, assessed at a street value of roughly 816 million Australian dollars, belong to an organized crime group that appears to have used a small town in North Queensland as its entry point.
Two men, aged 21 and 25, were taken into custody at the site after an attempt to flee. They have been charged with possession of a commercial quantity of an imported border‑controlled drug and face life sentences if convicted.
The raid is part of Operation Minjiang, launched in May when police seized 40 kilograms of cocaine from a boat near a ramp in Midge Point. Further arrests were made across Queensland and New South Wales following that episode.
Authorities say a vessel suspected of acting as a mother ship for the smuggling run was detained in the Solomon Islands. The investigation is still ongoing as officials search for additional members of the syndicate.
Cocaine normally fetches around 300 Australian dollars per gram in the domestic market, according to an illegal‑drugs monitor operated by the University of New South Wales. Youth cocaine use is high in Australia and New Zealand, placing them at the top of the world list according to the UN World Drug Report.
The incident underscores how determined criminal networks are and the lengths they will go for profit, said Australian Federal Police commander Stephen Jay. He added that international police partners will continue to be involved as investigations of the drugs’ origin progress.
