The cocaine, estimated to have a street value of A$816 million ($572 million), was discovered on June 19 at a semi-rural property in the western Sydney suburb of Londonderry, the Queensland Joint Organised Crime Taskforce said on Monday.

Investigators said the drugs were hidden in plastic tubs buried in underground bunkers accessible through false floors installed inside three shipping containers on the property.

Two Sydney men, aged 21 and 25, were arrested at the scene and charged with possessing a commercial quantity of an illicit drug. If convicted, they face potential life sentences under Australian law.

The seizure surpasses Australia’s previous record cocaine interception of 2.34 metric tons, recovered from a fishing vessel near K’gari, formerly known as Fraser Island, off the Queensland coast in 2024.

Authorities allege the shipment entered Australia through Midge Point in Queensland before being transported approximately 1,800 kilometers by road to Sydney by an organized crime network.

Police believe the drugs originated from the same mother ship linked to an earlier seizure of 178 kilograms of cocaine and 142 kilograms of methamphetamine in Queensland. Six individuals have already been charged in connection with that investigation.

Investigators suspect the vessel involved is the Belize-flagged cargo ship MV Wealth, which has been detained by authorities in the Solomon Islands over suspected links to transnational organized crime activities.

The Solomon Islands lie roughly 2,000 kilometers northeast of Queensland and have increasingly attracted law enforcement attention as authorities monitor trafficking routes across the Pacific region.

Australian Federal Police Commander Stephen Jay said criminal syndicates were increasingly exploiting Queensland’s extensive 13,000-kilometer coastline to import illicit drugs into Australia.

The seizure highlights the continued attraction of the Australian narcotics market to international trafficking organizations. Law enforcement agencies note that Australians pay some of the highest prices globally for cocaine, making the country a highly profitable destination for organized crime groups despite intensified border enforcement and interdiction efforts.

Investigations into the trafficking network and the origins of the shipment remain ongoing.

The 47-year-old former member of the Australian Defence Force was detained at Sydney Airport and will face charges carrying a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, according to the Australian Federal Police.

Police allege the victims were not participating in hostilities and were detained, unarmed, and under the control of Australian forces at the time of their deaths. Authorities further allege the killings were either carried out directly by Roberts-Smith or by subordinates acting under his orders.

Roberts-Smith, who received the Victoria Cross for his service, has previously denied wrongdoing. Allegations against him first emerged in 2018 through media investigations and later became the subject of a high-profile defamation case.

In 2023, a Federal Court judge ruled that reports by Nine Entertainment had substantially proven several accusations, including the unlawful killing of detainees. His final appeal was dismissed by the High Court in 2025.The charges follow a broader inquiry into alleged misconduct by elite Australian forces in Afghanistan.

A 2020 military report found credible evidence that members of the Special Air Service Regiment unlawfully killed dozens of prisoners and civilians.The investigation into Roberts-Smith was conducted jointly by the Australian Federal Police and the Office of the Special Investigator, led by Ross Barnett, who said the process was complicated by limited access to crime scenes in Afghanistan.

Authorities said 53 war crimes allegations have been examined, with several cases ongoing. Another former special forces soldier is scheduled to stand trial on similar charges next year.

Roberts-Smith is expected to appear before a court in New South Wales later on Tuesday.