Men Arrested in Alleged $17 Million Cocaine Sting Gone Wrong in Sydney
Two individuals were apprehended attempting to collect a large cocaine shipment that had been replaced with an inert substance by police.
Two men have been arrested in Sydney, Australia, after allegedly arriving to collect a $17 million cocaine shipment, only to find the drugs had already been seized by police and replaced with a decoy substance. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) orchestrated a sting operation, swapping the 23kg haul of cocaine for an inert substance before delivering the replica packages to a Port Botany car park.
Police allege the two 33-year-old men attempted to take possession of the packages before their arrest. The operation was initiated following intelligence from Chilean investigators who had uncovered an organized crime network planning to import cocaine into Australia via commercial aircraft.
Following the seizure of the shipment in Chile, intelligence was shared with the AFP, leading to the setup of the sting. Both men have been charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug and were denied bail in Downing Centre Local Court. Their next court appearance is scheduled for December 9.
The investigation also extended to properties in Liverpool and Georges Hall, where officers reportedly seized approximately 5kg of MDMA, $8,000 in cash, scales, and about 10kg of a suspected drug-cutting agent. Concurrently, AFP investigators in South America collaborated with Chilean police to execute search warrants in Chile, leading to the arrest of two other individuals, a Bolivian national and an Argentinian national, for their alleged involvement in the attempted cocaine importation.