Victoria
Brisbane man arrested at airport over record cocaine seizure
A Brisbane man has been arrested at an airport and charged with drug and firearms offences following Australia's largest cocaine seizure.
Federal and state police have arrested a Brisbane man at an airport in connection with the largest cocaine seizure in Australian history.
According to reporting by wire services, the 41 year old man was taken into custody and faces multiple drugs and firearms charges. The arrest follows a joint operation between the Australian Federal Police and Queensland Police officers.
As part of the investigation, authorities executed a search warrant at a residential property in the Brisbane suburb of Kangaroo Point. Officers located items that led to the firearms and drug charges, though specific details about the quantity of weapons or illicit substances seized at the home have not yet been released.
The broader investigation relates to a record breaking haul of cocaine, which authorities have described as the largest ever intercepted in Australia. Police have not yet confirmed the exact volume of the total seizure, its street value, or how the arrested man is allegedly linked to the syndicate responsible for importing the drugs.
It is also not yet known which airport the man was attempting to travel through when he was intercepted by officers, or what his intended destination was.
Australian authorities have repeatedly warned that they are targeting the domestic distribution networks of international drug cartels, which continue to view Australia as a highly lucrative market. Further charges against other individuals have not been ruled out as the joint agency investigation continues.
Watch for details of the man's first court appearance and further police statements on the scale of the record shipment.
This report draws on original reporting by Wire report.
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