Six men have been charged after a multi-agency investigation into an alleged drug importation and distribution network uncovered hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and methamphetamine in Queensland and New South Wales.
The Australian Federal Police said the arrests followed Operation Minjiang, an investigation that began after authorities located 40 kilograms of cocaine at a boat ramp at Midge Point, near Mackay, in May. Police allege the drugs were part of a wider importation venture that used northern Queensland as an entry point before moving supplies through safe houses and vehicles.
Large seizure allegedly linked to north Queensland importation
Investigators from the Queensland Joint Organised Crime Taskforce executed a series of search warrants across Queensland and New South Wales this month. The largest seizure was allegedly made at Mount Cotton, south-east of Brisbane, where police said 178 kilograms of cocaine and 142 kilograms of methamphetamine were found hidden in a van.
Authorities estimate the combined seizure removed about $100 million worth of illicit drugs from criminal supply chains. Police said the owners of the Mount Cotton property were unaware of the drugs and are not considered suspects.
The operation also led investigators to a suspected safe house at Petrie, in Brisbane’s north. Police allege officers found one kilogram of cocaine and drug-related paraphernalia at the location. A 32-year-old man was charged with possessing a dangerous drug and dealing with money or property reasonably suspected of being proceeds of crime.
Six men charged across Queensland and New South Wales
A 41-year-old Mackay man was arrested after police located a burnt-out truck near the Midge Point scene. He has been charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug and is expected to face Brisbane Magistrates Court. Police allege he helped collect the imported drugs and transport them toward Brisbane.
Another 32-year-old man was arrested at Middle Park, in Brisbane’s south-west, and charged with possessing a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported border-controlled drug. Police allege the drugs were intended to be transported to Sydney. He is expected to appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court next month.
At Eagleby, south of Brisbane, a 28-year-old man was arrested and charged with possessing a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported border-controlled drug. Investigators allege items seized during that warrant helped identify the Mount Cotton location where the larger drug haul was later found.
A further search at Hillcrest, also south of Brisbane, resulted in another 28-year-old man being charged with possessing a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported border-controlled drug and contravening an order to provide access to electronic devices. He appeared in Beenleigh Magistrates Court and is expected to return to court.
In Sydney, AFP officers executed a warrant at Green Valley and took a 24-year-old man into custody. Police allege he travelled to Midge Point in May to help facilitate the importation. The AFP said it would apply for his extradition to Queensland, where he is expected to face drug importation-related charges.
Police say investigation remains active
AFP Commander Stephen Jay said the operation had disrupted a serious organised crime supply chain and warned criminal groups against exploiting regional communities as importation points. Queensland Police Service Crime Command Detective Acting Chief Superintendent Troy Pukallus said investigators were still working to map the broader network and further arrests could not be ruled out.
Authorities have urged members of the public to report suspicious activity in public areas, particularly around coastal or regional locations that can be used by organised crime groups to move illicit drugs. All charges remain allegations and the accused men are entitled to the presumption of innocence while their matters proceed through the courts.