Chilean and Australian Police have arrested five men for their alleged roles in the failed importation of 36kg of cocaine into Australia.
An international investigation, codenamed Op Minnie Water, began in October 2025 after the Policia de Investigaciones de Chile (PDI) detected and deconstructed two pieces of mining equipment allegedly containing 36kg of cocaine destined for Australia.
The PDI removed the cocaine - with an estimated Australian street value of $11.7 million - before reconstructing the consignment. With the support of the AFP, the equipment was allowed to be sent to Australia alongside PDI investigators.
The AFP allegedly observed a Western Sydney man, 26, collect the shipment and transport it to a residential property in St Mary's.
Investigators allegedly heard drilling and grinding noises from the property, suggesting he was trying to access the illicit drugs.
AFP investigators arrested the 26-year-old alongside a second Western Sydney man, 37, after they allegedly attempted to access the drugs. Police also located angle grinders, cutting discs, safety equipment and sledgehammers which they allege the men used to cut into the mining equipment.
Both men were charged with attempting to import a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug, namely cocaine, contrary to section 307.1 of the Criminal Code (Cth).
They were also charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of cocaine, contrary to section 307.5 of the Criminal Code (Cth). The maximum penalty for each offence is life imprisonment.
The two men appeared before Penrith Local Court on Wednesday (15 October, 2025) and were refused bail. Both men are expected to reappear before Penrith Local Court on 19 December, 2025.
Following the arrests in Australia, the AFP's International Post in South America provided evidence to support the PDI in executing four search warrants in Ovalle and Serena, and San Miguel, Chile.
During these warrants, three men from Ovalle and Serena, Region de Coquimbo, as well as San Miguel, Region Metropolitana, Chile, were arrested for their roles in the criminal enterprise.
In addition to the original consignment, PDI investigators also seized mobile phones and mining equipment.
All three men were charged with illicit association and drug trafficking offences.
AFP Commander Kate Ferry said these arrests speak to the deliberate and active actions the AFP is taking to disrupt criminal threats before they reach our borders.
"Organised crime groups routinely seek to exploit vulnerabilities at gateways around the world, and the AFP, alongside partners such as the Investigative Police of Chile, are committed to disrupting these groups and bringing them before the courts," Commander Ferry said.
"To anyone lured in by the false promise of riches from drug importations - these offences carry the potential of life in jail both in Australia and offshore.
"Through these partnerships in Australia and around the world, we are making significant strides in disrupting serious organised crime networks and their illicit drug routes."
