Australian anti-drug police seize 1,100kg of cocaine worth £212m in country's 'biggest ever' bust

Operation's combined haul is the country's largest

(EPA/Australian Police handout)

Australian police and border agents have seized 1,100kg of drugs worth £212m in the country's biggest ever cocaine bust.

Fifteen men have been charged with drug importation following a two-and-a-half-year operation that culminated on Christmas Day with the capture of 500kg of cocaine in New South Wales - adding to more than 600kg seized earlier in Tahiti that police said was destined for Australia.

Chris Sheehan, acting commissioner of the Australian Federal Police (AFP), praised officers' "tenacity and dedication" during the multi-agency Operation Okesi. "The size of that seizure collectively makes it the largest cocaine seizure in Australian law enforcement history," he added, according to the BBC.

In July 2014 investigators at the AFP and the New South Wales state drug squad received a snippet of information and launched an investigation into suspected drug smuggling by commercial fishermen in Sydney.

Their months of surveillance led to Fijian authorities' seizure of 32kg of heroin in December of that year, and the bust in Tahiti, which took place in March this year.

Mr Sheehan said: "We’ve prevented future importations by apprehending 15 men for their alleged involvement in the criminal syndicate responsible for this attempted importation."

The latest bust came after officers monitored a boat leaving Sydney Fish Markets on 3 December, which later returned to the Central Coast area.

During the night on Christmas Day a small tender launched from the boat, police said, and when it landed in Parsley Bay, Brooklyn, officers swooped. Three men were arrested and 500kg of cocaine seized.

All 15 men arrested and charged during the operation have appeared in court. They were due to appear again on Thursday at New South Wales' Central Local Court.

The maximum penalty for conspiracy to import a commercial quantity of border controlled drugs is life imprisonment. The drugs are believed to have come from South America.

Mark Jenkins, assistant commissioner of the New South Wales state police, said: "The dedication of all officers involved over the course of this investigation needs to be commended – especially those who sacrificed precious time with family and friends to ensure these dangerous drugs didn’t reach the streets."