Australian Police Force seize massive cocaine shipment

More than 240 kg of cocaine, worth about 84 million Australian dollars (73.67 million U.S. dollars), has been stopped from reaching Australia's streets, Australian Police Force announced on Tuesday.

Customs stopped two shipping containers of stone pavers from Mexico for inspection at the Port Melbourne Cargo Examination Facility on June 14.

It was then delivered to a warehouse in the Melbourne suburb of Moorabbin, where police allege it was sorted, with the pavers containing drugs separated from the legitimate pavers.

The shipment was then allegedly moved to Sydney, where it was delivered to a home in Baulkham Hills on July 3.

"A joint investigation involving the New South Wales (NSW) Police Force, Australian Federal Police and the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service has resulted in the seizure of 240 kilograms of cocaine the fifth largest seizure of this drug in Australian history," NSW Police Force said in a statement.

Director of the NSW State Crime Command's Organized Crime Directorate, Detective Chief Superintendent Ken McKay said the operation has been a major undertaking by all three agencies and has utilized the expertise of police from across states and federal jurisdictions.

"As a result, police have effectively disrupted what is a large organized crime syndicate and prevented 84 million dollars (73.67 million U.S. dollars) worth of cocaine reaching our streets," McKay said in the statement.


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