Largest ever cocaine bust in Australia after police raid underground bunker

Factual coreconfirmed by several independent voices

• Six people have been charged over that cocaine and 142 kilograms (313 pounds) of methamphetamine that was also found in the investigation.

  reliability moderate2/3 sources

• Police said the cocaine found in Sydney, the capital of New South Wales state and Australia's most populous city, landed by boat at Midge Point in the sparsely-populated Queensland tropics.

  reliability moderate2/3 sources

• The Solomons are 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) northeast of Queensland.

  reliability moderate2/3 sources

• Australian Federal Police Commander Stephen Jay said organized crime groups were increasingly targeting Queensland's 13,000-kilometer (8,000-mile) coastline to smuggle drugs.

  reliability moderate2/3 sources

• Police added that they suspect the shipment was landed from the same mother ship as 178 kilograms (392 pounds) of cocaine previously seized in Queensland.

  reliability moderate2/3 sources

• Australia's previous record cocaine haul was 2.34 metric tons (2.58 tons) seized in 2024 from a fishing boat near K'gari, formerly known as Fraser Island, off the Queensland state coast.

  reliability moderate2/3 sources

• Operation Minjiang began in May, 2026, after 40kg of cocaine was located in the water off a boat ramp at Midge Point by the Queensland Police Service (QPS), which was responding to reports of a burnt-out flatbed truck.

  reliability moderate2/5 sources

• Australians and New Zealanders also have the highest cocaine use rates in the world, according to last year's UN World Drug Report.

  reliability moderate2/2 sources

Reported detailssecondary facts, each attributed to its source

• Nearly 20 percent of the world’s oil and natural gas is transported through the strait, as well as about 30 percent of the global fertiliser trade.

  according to The Island

• Trump used similar language in his New York Times interview earlier this week, floating the US becoming “the guardian of the Middle East” in exchange for 20 percent of its revenue.

  according to The Island

• Police noted that Australia has become an attractive market for drug trafficking networks.

  according to MyRepublica

• 2.7 tonnes of cocaine seized from underground bunker in Sydney, Australia’s largest ever haul.

  according to MyRepublica

• An alleged mother vessel suspected to be part of the illicit drug importation into Queensland, the MV Wealth, has been detained by authorities in the Solomon Islands for further investigation, police said.

  according to Japan Today +3

• Despite its remoteness, Australia is a lucrative market for the drugs trade, with cocaine typically fetching around A$300 per gram, according to an illegal drugs monitoring system run by the University of New South Wales.

  according to BBC News - World

• The two men, who were remanded in custody after appearing in court on Saturday, face life in prison if convicted.

  according to BBC News - World

• Australians pay some of the world's highest prices for cocaine, which makes Australia a lucrative market for drug traffickers.

  according to Africanews +1

• In this photo provided by the Australian Federal Police, a man, center, is arrested by police in Londonderry in western Sydney, Friday, June 19, 2026.

  according to NPR — World

• Australian Federal Police via AP hide caption toggle caption Australian Federal Police via AP MELBOURNE, Australia — Police found 2.7 metric tons (3 tons) of cocaine on a property on Sydney's outskirts in Australia's largest ever seizure of the drug, officials said on Monday.

  according to NPR — World

Disputedincompatible versions — to verify

Framing by sidesame fact, different words — loaded terms highlighted

Blind spotwhat one side keeps silent

• Australians and New Zealanders also have the highest cocaine use rates in the world, according to last year's UN World Drug Report.

  omitted byLeft sidecovered byCenterPublic / Agencies

• They allege that a Sydney organized crime group transported the drug by road to the city, a distance of 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles),…

  omitted byPublic / Agenciescovered byLeft sideCenter

• The Solomons are 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) northeast of Queensland.

  omitted byPublic / Agenciescovered byLeft sideCenter

• Australian Federal Police Commander Stephen Jay said organized crime groups were increasingly targeting Queensland's 13,000-kilometer…

  omitted byPublic / Agenciescovered byLeft sideCenter

• Six people have been charged over that cocaine and 142 kilograms (313 pounds) of methamphetamine that was also found in the investigation.

  omitted byPublic / Agenciescovered byLeft sideCenter

Sources10 sources cross-checked

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