Australia

Australia: Record Cocaine Bust, 2.7-Tonnes Seized

Is this a sign that law enforcement is winning or that demand is the real problem that needs solving?

Published JUN 22

Australia: Record Cocaine Bust, 2.7-Tonnes Seized

Story

Above: Drugs discovered at a Londonderry property in Western Sydney, Australia, on June 19. Image credit: Australian Federal Police

The Facts

Australian Federal Police on Friday seized 2.7 tonnes of cocaine — the largest ever cocaine bust in Australian history — at a semi-rural property in Londonderry, Western Sydney. The amount seized has an estimated street value of AU$816 million ($571.5 million), equivalent to roughly 3 million street deals.
Australian Federal Police
Guardian
9News Australia
Police discovered the haul while searching three shipping containers at the rear of the property, which concealed a series of underground bunkers beneath false container floors, where the drugs were packaged in plastic tubs.
Australian Federal Police
Two men — a 21-year-old from Plumpton and a 25-year-old from Liverpool — allegedly fled the scene on foot when the police arrived, but were arrested and charged with possessing a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported border-controlled drug, an offense carrying a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Australian Federal Police
The pair appeared before a local court on Saturday and were remanded in custody. They will next appear before Penrith Local Court on Aug. 13, where police will allege the cocaine was transported to Sydney via Midge Point at the direction of an organized crime group operating out of the city.
Australian Federal Police
The seizure was part of Operation Minjiang, a Queensland Joint Organized Crime Taskforce investigation that began in May after Queensland Police found 40kg of cocaine in the water near a boat ramp at Midge Point, where a burnt-out flatbed truck was also discovered.
Australian Federal Police
Queensland Police Service
Australian Federal Police
So far, Minjiang has resulted in at least nine people being charged in connection with the importation and transport of illicit drugs and, following Friday's raid, the confiscation of 178kg of cocaine and 142kg of methamphetamine.
Australian Federal Police
ABC News
News.com.au

Sources Split

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RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

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PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Pro-government narrative

Friday's record bust shows that law enforcement is winning the battle against organized crime. Under the auspices of Operation Minjiang, the seizure dismantled a sophisticated criminal network that stretched from North Queensland to Sydney. Facing life imprisonment, these criminals learned the hard way that multi-agency coordination makes smuggling into Australia a losing game.

Australian Federal Police

Government-critical narrative

Busting drug shipments alone won't fix Australia's cocaine crisis, when Australians are already the highest per capita cocaine users on the planet. Demand is the real issue, and with billions spent annually on illegal drugs, supply will always find a way in. Real solutions require investing in treatment and education, as every dollar spent on addiction recovery returns seven to the community.