Six men from New South Wales (NSW), Australia, have been charged in connection with an alleged attempt to import 120 kg of cocaine from the United States and the subsequent discovery of a clandestine drug laboratory, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Australian Border Force (ABF) confirmed on Tuesday, 23 June.

How the Investigation Began

The operation traces back to December 2025, when officers intercepted a consignment dispatched from California containing four vehicle transmissions. Upon dismantling the components, investigators found 120 kg of cocaine concealed inside — carrying an estimated street value of 39 million Australian dollars (approximately 27.2 million US dollars). The interception triggered a months-long investigation that culminated in coordinated search warrants across four NSW properties on 18 June 2026.

Clandestine Lab Uncovered in Kingsdale

At a property in Kingsdale, a small town 165 km southwest of Sydney, police discovered a large-scale, commercial-grade clandestine laboratory allegedly used to manufacture cocaine and methamphetamine in commercial quantities. Investigators seized an additional 44 kg of cocaine and 2 kg of methamphetamine from the site.

Four men — aged 35, 41, 45, and 49 — were arrested at the property and each charged with offences including trafficking in commercial quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine. If convicted, all four face a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Two further men, aged 56 and 52, were arrested at separate properties and charged with lesser offences.

Backdrop: Australia's Largest-Ever Cocaine Seizure

The charges come against the backdrop of an even larger drug bust announced the previous day. On Monday, 22 June, the AFP revealed that investigators had located 2.7 tonnes of cocaine — the largest seizure of the drug in Australian history — while executing a search warrant at a property in Londonderry, a suburb 50 km northwest of central Sydney.

The cocaine, with an estimated street value of 816 million Australian dollars (approximately 571.3 million US dollars), was found hidden in plastic crates buried in underground bunkers concealed beneath false floors inside three shipping containers at the rear of the property. Authorities estimate the haul could have supplied roughly 3 million street-level deals. Two men, aged 21 and 25, were arrested and charged with possessing a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported border-controlled drug — an offence also carrying a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

The Trail: From Queensland to Sydney

The Londonderry seizure is linked to an investigation by a joint organised crime task force in Queensland that began after police recovered 40 kg of cocaine from waters near a boat ramp in May 2026. Investigators established that the cocaine had been offloaded from a mothership operating in deeper waters off the Australian coast. Subsequent search warrants yielded a further 178 kg of cocaine and 142 kg of methamphetamine.

It will be alleged in court that the cocaine found at Londonderry was part of the same broader importation and was transported to Sydney at the direction of an organised crime group. The alleged mothership has since been detained in the Solomon Islands for further investigation.

What Comes Next

With six men now charged in the NSW cocaine-import case and two more facing charges over the Londonderry haul, Australian law enforcement is signalling a sustained crackdown on transnational drug networks targeting the country. The Solomon Islands vessel detention suggests the investigation is extending beyond Australian borders, and further charges or arrests cannot be ruled out as proceedings move through the courts.