Almost $80 million worth of MDMA hidden in an excavator and shipped from the United Kingdom to Australia was sent to an auction house and purchased by a knowing drugs importer, according to federal police.
Just under 450 kilograms of the party drug - which police allege has a street value of $79 million - was in March found inside the excavator, which arrived in Brisbane from Southampton on the UK south coast.
Federal police allege the machine was then consigned to a Sydney auction house and bought by a man who knew of its illicit contents - some 226 plastic bags of MDMA.
Police on Wednesday raided four locations across western and inner west Sydney, arresting two men and seizing about $1.2 million in cash.
The pair - a 33-year-old from Mortlake and a 42-year-old from Greystanes - were charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of drugs.
Both appeared in Central Local Court on Thursday and were refused bail to reappear on February 3.
Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Justine Gough told reporters on Friday more arrests may follow.
"The group thought hiding drugs in machinery and consigning it to a legitimate auction house would be an innocuous way to avoid detection in Australia, and indeed, they were very wrong," Ms Gough said.
"Drug use has a devastating impact on individuals and Australian families."
Another three men - aged 53, 60 and 57 - were arrested by authorities in the UK and charged with conspiring to export illicit drugs.
The trio are accused of sourcing, concealing and exporting the drugs, as well as arranging for one of the Australian men to purchase the excavator.
