Overview

• Border Force officers acted on a May 27 tip-off, scanning the container by X-ray on May 29 and uncovering five packages hidden among plastic packing materials.
• AFP forensic tests confirmed the haul weighed 253kg and carries an estimated street value of about $82 million.
• The operation involved close collaboration between the Australian Border Force and Australian Federal Police supply chain teams.
• The seizure adds to a spate of large-scale cocaine busts targeting shipments off the coasts of Queensland and New South Wales.
• AFP Detective Acting Superintendent Adrian Telfer urged anyone with information on the smuggling network to assist the ongoing investigation.