On July 15 (local time), according to Xinhua, Australian authorities seized more than 500kg of cocaine hidden sophisticatedly in a container transporting goods arriving at Sydney port from Texas (USA).
According to the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Australian Border Force (ABF), officers on duty at Port Botany port (Sydney) discovered many unusual signs inside the container on July 13. After conducting careful inspection, functional forces found 14 sports bags hidden inside the shipment.
Each bag contains from 30 to 40 cocaine cakes, each cake weighing about 1kg.
In total, functional forces seized 534kg of cocaine, with an estimated value on the black market of about 400.5 million Australian dollars (AUD), equivalent to 279.7 million USD.
According to initial investigation results, the container was transported from Texas (USA), transiting through Panama before docking at Sydney port. After that, the shipment is expected to continue to be delivered to an address in Melbourne.
No suspects have been arrested in connection with the incident.
Australian Federal Police said they have launched an investigation to identify the criminal organization behind this transnational drug trafficking ring.
Australian authorities believe this is one of the largest-scale cocaine seizures in recent times, and also shows that international drug trafficking rings are still trying to take advantage of sea transport to bring banned substances into Australia.
According to the Australian Federal Police, the discovery of the shipment right at the port prevented a large amount of cocaine from entering the domestic market, contributing to limiting the risk of drug-related criminal activities.
Australia has long been considered one of the markets for consuming cocaine with the highest retail prices in the world, making this country a target for many international drug smuggling organizations.
