Sydney Dockworkers Busted in $107M Cocaine Smuggle
Three charged over massive cocaine shipment at Sydney port.
Australian authorities charged three Sydney dockworkers in connection with a massive 506-kilogram cocaine shipment, valued at over AUD 164 million (USD 107 million), uncovered at the Sydney waterfront.
The trio, aged 25, 38, and 42, appeared in a Sydney court on Monday, facing potential life sentences for their alleged roles in smuggling the drugs, hidden behind a false wall in a shipping container from Europe. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) described the bust as a major blow to organized crime networks exploiting trusted insiders in Australia’s supply chains.
The two older men, both forklift drivers for an unnamed global shipping and logistics company, were implicated alongside the third worker. During the investigation, police seized AUD 330,000 (USD 216,240) in cash, alleged to be proceeds of crime. The operation was led by the Multi Agency Strike Team, a joint effort of state and federal agencies targeting insiders who facilitate drug smuggling for criminal syndicates.
The 42-year-old was granted bail, while the other two remain in custody, with all three scheduled to return to court on October 29. The AFP continues to investigate the cocaine’s origin, as the shipping container’s European source raises questions about international trafficking networks.
This high-profile bust underscores Australia’s ongoing battle against illicit drug imports and the critical role of port security in disrupting organized crime.
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