AUTHORITIES have seized $9 million worth of cocaine hidden inside a refrigerated shipping container, after intercepting an attempted import at Port Botany, New South Wales.
Australian Border Force (ABF) officers identified the consignment on 2 December, which contained 22 individually wrapped plastic blocks with an estimated weight of 27kg.
ABF Acting Superintendent Matt Hughes said officers provided around the clock intelligence-driven assessments of sea cargo consignments before they reached Australian shores.
“This detection is a fantastic example of how agency collaboration and monitoring can result in significant operational outcomes and real-life harm minimisation,” he said.
“Information sharing between partner agencies provides law enforcement a more complete picture of inbound suspicious cargo and for where it is destined.”
X-ray examinations detected suspicious irregularities towards the rear section of the container, prompting authorities to conduct further inspection. Subsequent presumptive testing of the consignment indicated the presence of cocaine. During the examination, police officers also discovered several packages fitted with tracking devices concealed inside the container. Authorities estimated that the quantity of drugs seized was sufficient to supply approximately 135,000 individual street-level deals.
Since October 2025, about 145kg of cocaine has been found by ABF officers in refrigerated containers.
In a recent statement from the AFP, criminal syndicates are increasingly employing sophisticated methods to smuggle cocaine by concealing it within the motor compartments of refrigerated shipping containers — a tactic that has become a notable trend in drug importation attempts. Offenders have also broadened their methods to include other border-controlled goods, making detection and enforcement even more challenging for authorities. After these illicit shipments arrive in Australia, criminals may attempt to infiltrate secure docks, container terminals or storage facilities in a bid to recover the concealed drugs before detection by law enforcement.
AFP Detective Acting Superintendent Aaron Burgess said the AFP’s strong collaboration with national and international law enforcement partners played a critical role in disrupting the ability of criminal networks.
“Transnational criminal syndicates will go to any extreme in their attempts to import harmful illicit substances into our country,” Det a/Supt Burgess said.
Investigators have begun conducting further enquiries into the Port Botany import.