BRISBANE: Australian police on Monday announced the successful interception of the country's largest cocaine import, leading to the arrest of 13 individuals charged in connection with an alleged plot to smuggle multimillion-dollar quantities of cocaine into Australia. According to Anadolu Agency, the Australian Federal Police, in collaboration with Queensland Police and the Australian Border Force, have charged 11 men and two juveniles following an intensive investigation into a transnational organized crime syndicate. The syndicate is accused of planning to import 2.34 tons of cocaine into Australia via sea routes. Authorities have declared this operation the largest cocaine seizure in Australian history, with the drugs estimated to have a street value of approximately 760 million Australian dollars (around 494 million USD). Police estimated the potential distribution could have resulted in 11.7 million individual street deals if the drugs had reached the community. The group allegedly intended to bring t he drugs into Queensland, with several individuals positioned onshore to receive the illicit cargo. Police conducted arrests over the weekend, on both Saturday and Sunday. During a search of the vessel, authorities reportedly discovered 51 bales encased with roped netting. Each bale contained roughly 40 kilograms (88 pounds) of a white substance, which was packaged into individual 1-kilogram (2.2 pounds) blocks. According to police data, during the 2023-24 fiscal year, 31.3 tons of illicit drugs have been intercepted at the Australian border and within the country, underscoring the ongoing battle against drug smuggling operations.