Two more men have been charged as federal and state police continue investigating what authorities describe as Australia’s largest cocaine seizure, an operation that has now resulted in 12 people being placed before the courts.
The latest developments in Operation Minjiang include the arrest of a 41-year-old Brisbane man at Brisbane Airport and the separate arrest of a 23-year-old man in western Sydney. Police allege the broader criminal enterprise handled 2.78 tonnes of cocaine and 142 kilograms of methamphetamine.
Airport arrest follows interstate trafficking inquiry
Australian Federal Police and Queensland Police arrested the Brisbane man after executing a search warrant at a Kangaroo Point residence. Officers said they seized about $80,000 in cash and electronic devices, which are expected to undergo further forensic examination.
Investigators allege members of the syndicate moved cocaine from a suspected safe house at Petrie, north of Brisbane, to a property at Loganholme on the city’s south side. The 41-year-old is accused of facilitating the drugs’ interstate transport through New South Wales and Victoria using a legitimate trucking business.
Police stressed that the transport business itself is not suspected of involvement and is not believed to have known about the alleged offending. A separate search at the Loganholme property allegedly uncovered residual packaging that investigators believe was used during the trafficking process.
The Brisbane man faces charges relating to the possession of a commercial quantity of border-controlled drugs and dealing with property suspected of being proceeds of crime. He was due to have the allegations dealt with in Brisbane Magistrates Court. The charges remain allegations and he is entitled to the presumption of innocence.
Firearms and cocaine allegedly found in Sydney search
In New South Wales, officers searched a home at Erskine Park, where they arrested a 23-year-old man. Police allege the search uncovered 28 grams of cocaine, approximately $10,000 in cash and several weapons.
The seized items allegedly included a semi-automatic 9mm pistol and a shortened single-barrel shotgun loaded with one round, along with ammunition and a firearm suppressor. The man was charged with a series of state drug, firearm and suspected proceeds-of-crime offences and appeared before Penrith Local Court.
As with the Queensland accused, the case against the Sydney man has not been tested in court. Police said further arrests and charges remain possible as detectives continue examining the alleged network and the movement of drugs between states.
Record seizure at centre of ongoing operation
Operation Minjiang centres on a 2.78-tonne cocaine seizure made in June at Londonderry in Sydney’s west. Officers allegedly located the cocaine inside three shipping containers, with packages concealed beneath floorboards. Authorities have estimated the seized cocaine’s value at about $816 million.
The AFP has said the quantity could have supplied roughly three million street-level deals. In addition to the cocaine, the wider operation has seized 142 kilograms of methamphetamine, underlining the scale of the suspected distribution enterprise.
The latest arrests bring the number of people before courts in Queensland and New South Wales over the alleged enterprise to 12. Investigators are now analysing electronic devices, financial evidence, packaging and transport links as they seek to establish how the drugs were stored and moved.
Investigation remains active
Authorities have not suggested the arrests mark the end of the inquiry. The AFP said Operation Minjiang remains ongoing and further charges have not been ruled out.
The case will continue through separate court proceedings in Brisbane and Sydney. Until those matters are determined, all defendants are presumed innocent, and the prosecution will be required to prove each charge beyond reasonable doubt.
