The Western Australian Police Force seized 2.4 tons of cocaine on a vessel off the coast of South America, intended to be transported to Australia by Mexican cartels, as part of an operation launched on December 28, 2022.
To trap the receivers in Australia, police faked the trade by dropping packages of plaster off the coast, where the trade would take place. Watching the area from the air, the police tracked and identified the suspects by detecting the distribution points. A total of 12 people who were handing over and distributing drugs were arrested, and $1,353,000 in cash was seized throughout the operation.
The seized cocain, which is estimated to have a street value of $676.8 million, was found to be the largest amount seized in Australian history.