Boat Ramp Bust Leads to Australia's Largest Cocaine Seizure Ever

Australian police forces have announced their largest cocaine bust ever, a sign of the country's high demand for the drug and the boom in production in South America.

On Sunday, the Australian Federal Police revealed the arrest of two suspects and the seizure of 2.7 tonnes of cocaine from a storage lot outside of Sydney. On Friday, the AFP's officers conducted a search at a rural property in Londonderry. They caught two men, aged 21 and 25, who attempted to run away when police approached.

At the back of the property, the police found three shipping containers. Underneath the floors, they found unlined earthen pits that had been dug out beneath the containers. Hidden within were bales and bales of cocaine in plastic tubs, some sitting in muddy water.

Courtesy AFP

Police say that the drugs were smuggled into Australia near Midge Point, North Queensland, about 530 miles to the northwest of Brisbane on the Coral Sea coastline. The inquiry began there on May 30, when police responded to a report of a burning flatbed truck at the town's boat ramp and discovered 40 kilos of cocaine floating in the water just offshore. The investigation has been rolling up multiple alleged participants in the scheme, starting with the owner of the truck and expanding throughout the criminal organization's network in Queensland. Last week, six people were arrested in connection with the alleged smuggling plot, each with different roles in the operation.

"This alleged plot to distribute nearly three tonnes of cocaine — by arranging for an international vessel to offload the drugs in Northern Queensland before moving them into Sydney — demonstrates how highly organized and determined these criminal networks are," AFP Commander Stephen Jay said. "Investigations into the origin of the drugs remain ongoing, and we will work with our international and domestic law enforcement partners to identify the criminal syndicates and anyone else involved."

At current Australian pricing, the street value of the consignment comes to about US$570 million, roughly equal to US$200,000 per kilo.