Two men both foreign nationals have been charged with importing around half a tonne of cocaine with a street value of around $160 million into Australia.
50-year-old Colombian-born Gilberto Aristizabal Serna, and German-born Holger Sander, 45, faced Brisbane Magistrates Court on charges of aiding and abetting the importation of cocaine.
Federal Police believe the 464 kilogram of cocaine came from South America and was transferred from a catamaran to a yacht, 800 kilometres off Queensland’s southern coast.
Twelve properties in NSW and Queensland have been raided, uncovering an alleged drug lab in Eden, close to the Victorian border.
"It's the third-largest haul in Australia's history," AFP Deputy Commissioner Andrew Colvin told reporters in Brisbane on Thursday.
"That's 500,000 drug hits.
"The cocaine could have potentially earned more than $160 million on Australian streets.".
Neither man applied for bail.
Both men will be back in court on November 5th.
