Updated ,first published
A public tip-off about a burning truck on a Queensland boat ramp and a pile of dirt on the outskirts of Sydney has led to Australia’s largest cocaine seizure, as police prepare for underworld mayhem to follow.
More than 2½ tonnes of cocaine was uncovered at a western Sydney property on Friday after investigations into a shipment of drugs totalling more than three tonnes.
Queensland Police Detective Superintendent Troy Pukallus said the seizure was a credit to frontline investigators who followed a tip from the public.
“The initial response was to a vehicle on fire … potentially to destroy evidence,” Pukallus said on Monday.
“It’s a credit to our frontline investigators that from that, just the initial response, assessment and investigation, inquiries they conducted, that we got the result.”
The record-setting haul suggests a “significant organised crime syndicate” was behind the import, AFP Investigations Commander Stephen Jay said.
“Exactly who that is, that’s still very much something we’re examining,” Jay said.
The seizure coincides with escalating violence in an ongoing conflict between criminal groups vying for control of Sydney’s lucrative drug market, but Jay said law enforcement is ready to respond.
“Violence is baked into the organised crime network,” he said.
“Someone’s lost a lot of money and there’ll be some soul-searching, no doubt.”
The cocaine, potentially worth about $816 million once bagged up and sold, was allegedly found at a Londonderry property.
Three shipping containers, with false floors, covered underground bunkers packed with storage tubs full of the drug.
Jay said a complex attempt to conceal the drugs underground had left behind a clear clue for investigators.
“There was a large amount of disturbed earth immediately near that shipping container, so clearly as investigators that would be something they would focus on,” he said.
Police say it is the biggest cocaine bust in Australian history.
Previously, the largest seizure by the AFP was a 2.34-tonne haul of cocaine found in a fishing boat off K’gari Island in Queensland in late 2024.
Two men allegedly tried to run from the Londonderry property when police arrived.
The pair were arrested and charged with possessing a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported border-controlled drug.
Andrew Whata Fepuleai, 21, and Kristian Faumui, 25, were remanded in custody on Saturday, and are due to face Penrith Local Court again on August 13.
Neither of them are the property’s owner, who has not yet been charged, as police continue examining whether they had any knowledge of the concealment.
The discovery in western Sydney came through a police operation that began in May when 40kg of cocaine was found in water north of Mackay, Queensland.
Police were first tipped-off to a truck on fire at a nearby boat ramp.
“It shows how a small report from the community, even when something seemingly innocuous, can lead to something significantly bigger,” Jay said.
But investigators believe the cocaine in the water was only a fraction of the total shipment, allegedly dropped from the MV Wealth to a smaller vessel, a common technique for smuggling drugs into Australia.
The cargo ship has since been detained in Solomon Islands.
As the investigation continued in June, another 178kg of cocaine was found inside a van parked at a Mount Cotton home, south-east of Brisbane, along with 142kg of methamphetamine.
The Mount Cotton property’s owners are not considered suspects, and police believe they were not aware of what was inside the van.
The drugs allegedly came from the same north Queensland importation.
A 24-year-old man from Green Valley in western Sydney, who allegedly travelled to north Queensland to collect and transport the drugs, was arrested on Wednesday.
Another five men have also been arrested in Queensland in relation to the investigation.
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
Jack Gramenz is a breaking news reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email.
