MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Police found 2.7 metric tons (3 tons) of cocaine on a property on Sydney’s outskirts in Australia’s largest ever seizure of the drug, officials said on Monday.
The drug was found on June 19 in plastic tubs buried in underground bunkers hidden beneath three shipping containers on a semirural property in the suburb of Londonderry on Sydney’s western edge, the Queensland Joint Organized Crime Taskforce said in a statement.
The containers had false floors that provided access to the cocaine, which police estimate had a street value of 816 million Australian dollars ($572 million). Two Sydney residents, men aged 21 and 25, were arrested at the property and charged with possessing a commercial quantity of an illicit drug. They face potential sentences of life in prison.
Australia’s previous record cocaine haul was 2.34 metric tons (2.58 tons) seized in 2024 from a fishing boat near K’gari, formerly known as Fraser Island, off the Queensland state coast.
Police said the cocaine found in Sydney, the capital of New South Wales state and Australia's most populous city, landed by boat at Midge Point in the sparsely-populated Queensland tropics. They allege that a Sydney organized crime group transported the drug by road to the city, a distance of 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles), police said.
Police added that they suspect the shipment was landed from the same mother ship as 178 kilograms (392 pounds) of cocaine previously seized in Queensland. Six people have been charged over that cocaine and 142 kilograms (313 pounds) of methamphetamine that was also found in the investigation.
They suspect the mother ship to be MV Wealth, a Belize-flagged cargo ship that has been seized by authorities in Solomon Islands on suspicion of involvement in transitional organized crime.
The Solomons are 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) northeast of Queensland.
Australian Federal Police Commander Stephen Jay said organized crime groups were increasingly targeting Queensland’s 13,000-kilometer (8,000-mile) coastline to smuggle drugs.
Australians pay some of the world’s highest prices for cocaine, which makes Australia a lucrative market for drug traffickers.
In this undated photo provided by the Australian Federal Police, a quantity of cocaine is bagged and displayed in Sydney. (Australian Federal Police via AP)
In this photo provided by the Australian Federal Police, a man, center, is arrested by police in Londonderry in western Sydney, Friday, June 19, 2026. (Australian Federal Police via AP)
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Uruguay is off to a start many did not expect. After draws against Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde, and with a match against Spain still to come, the two-time World Cup winner is at risk of missing the knockout stage.
Among the many fans watching was someone the team looked to for goals for more than 15 years: Luis Suárez.
The matches were played in Miami Stadium, near where Suárez serves as striker for Inter Miami. The 39-year-old watched from above as Uruguay struggled despite being heavily favored.
Suárez ended his international career in 2024 as the all-time leading scorer for the national team with 69 goals in 143 appearances. He was ultimately left off coach Marcelo Bielsa’s squad after months of speculation.
After the match, Bielsa spoke about the team’s inability to capitalize on some of its advantages.
“I think that the problem or greatest issue is that we started the second half with the ball and with the victory,” Bielsa said through a translator after Sunday’s game. “And it was at that moment that we didn’t close it. We didn’t make any danger.”
Bielsa claimed his team “lacked a finishing touch” in Sunday night’s draw. Something that Suárez once delivered in his time with Uruguay.
Fans of Uruguay recognized how difficult it can be to replace a player of Suárez’s caliber.
“(I have) mixed feelings to be honest,” Uruguay supporter Frederico Suárez said. “He’s old and now it’s time for the younger players. But he’s a good player, maybe the best player I’ve ever watched with Uruguay.”
In April, Luis Suárez announced he was willing to come out of retirement to play for Uruguay in the World Cup. The announcement fueled speculation that Uruguay’s star could make one final appearance on soccer’s biggest stage. Bielsa instead placed his faith in Uruguay’s next attacking generation, also excluding veteran striker Edinson Cavani from his roster.
“I feel like he’s a little older, so for players like Darwin (Núñez), I think it just gives him a little bit more of a chance to shine,” Uruguay fan Ian Lancaster said.
In its first World Cup match without Suárez since 2010, Uruguay narrowly avoided an upset against Saudi Arabia with the team’s only goal coming late from midfielder Maxi Araújo. Nuñez and Federico Viñas led the front line but were largely ineffective.
Bielsa chose a different lineup Sunday night, starting only Viñas to lead the attack. Midfielder Agustín Canobbio was added to the starting lineup against Cape Verde and made a difference, scoring Uruguay’s second goal.
It was Canobbio’s narrow miss in the second half, however, that could have given Uruguay a much-needed victory.
Suárez and Bielsa clashed after the 2024 Copa América when Suárez criticized Bielsa for the negative environment he had created under his leadership. Now, Bielsa and the Uruguay team will face further pressure to secure a win with an attack that has yet to dispel concerns.
All eyes will be on Uruguay on Friday as they travel to Guadalajara Stadium for a match against Spain.
“Our expectations with Uruguay now is that we never know,” Uruguay fan Alfonso Aguel said. “We need to play every match, go match by match, and see what actually happens.”
Gracie Fisher is a student in the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.
AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup
A fan shows a T-shirt featuring an image of Uruguay player Luis Suarez during a gathering to watch the World Cup soccer match between Uruguay and Saudi Arabia, in Montevideo, Uruguay Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)
Uruguay's Agustin Canobbio (14) reacts following the World Cup Group H soccer match between Uruguay and Cape Verde in Miami Gardens, Fla., Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Uruguay players walk from the field following the World Cup Group H soccer match between Uruguay and Cape Verde in Miami Gardens, Fla., Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
