Almost AU$9 million (US$5.9 million) worth of cocaine hidden inside a refrigerated shipping container has been seized after Australian authorities intercepted the cargo on its arrival into Port Botany in New South Wales, the Australian Border Force (ABF) said on Thursday, December 4.
ABF officers identified the consignment on Tuesday, December 2, and conducted an x-ray examination, which identified anomalies in the rear of the container.
Further examination by ABF officers located 22 individually wrapped plastic blocks, with an estimated total weight of 27 kg. Presumptive testing of the consignment returned a positive reading for cocaine.
Packages containing tracking devices were also located in the container.
The estimated value of the cocaine is about AU$9 million, which the ABF said is enough for about 135,000 street-level deals.
The Australian Federal Police seized the illicit drugs and investigators are conducting further inquiries.
Since October, 2025, about 145 kg of cocaine has been found by ABF officers in refrigerated containers.
ABF Acting Superintendent Matt Hughes said officers provided around the clock intelligence-driven assessments of sea cargo consignments before they reached Australian shores.