Nine men have been charged over an alleged conspiracy to import tonnes of cocaine via an offshore drop-zone and distribute the drugs Australia-wide by truck.
A 10-month investigation by federal and Victorian police, Australian Border Force and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission resulted in the arrests of the eight Victorians and a man from Sydney's west.
The alleged criminals, aged between 31 and 72, have been hit with a raft of charges relating to drug trafficking.
They are accused of attempting to smuggle quantities of up to 3.5 tonnes of cocaine into the country by sea.
Seven of them face the possibility of life in prison if convicted.
Police were alerted to the syndicate when four crew members were rescued from a commercial trawler which sank off the Victorian coast in May 2025.
The crews' movements were placed under surveillance after police became suspicious of why they had set out out to sea in poor weather and without proper commercial fishing equipment.
It is alleged the group tried to travel to a drop-zone in Bass Strait multiple times where they would have received significant quantities of drugs from a "mother ship".
Police say these attempts were unsuccessful.
But four of the men have also been charged in relation to the separate seizure of 30kg of methamphetamine in Perth last August and 41kg of cocaine in regional Victoria days later.
It is alleged the syndicate was using connections in the trucking industry to distribute the drugs across state lines.
The joint agency task force continues investigations into the international syndicate behind alleged attempts to offload illegal cargo in Australian waters.
Further arrests have not been ruled out.
Nine newspapers also reported on Saturday authorities were separately working to locate a missing tonne of cocaine allegedly offloaded by a cargo ship allowed to sail along Australia's east coast due to fears of a "political storm" if its crew sought asylum when intercepted.
The ship allegedly offloaded the drugs, estimated to be worth about half a billion dollars, to an organised syndicate.
Criminal groups were targeting the Australian market due to an "insatiable" local demand for illicit drugs and a willingness to pay top dollar for them, according to AFP Detective Superintendent Ray Imbriano.
"These are not harmless substances and apart from the health consequences, drug importations fuel violence between rival gangs in our suburbs," he said.
"This violence too often leaves innocent Australians caught in the crosshairs."
Officials continued to face down threats posed by serious organised crime groups, Australian Border Force Commander Clinton Sims said.
"The ABF is resolute in making the border a hostile environment for criminal syndicates attempting to profit from Australia's illicit drug market.
"Intercepting criminals and dismantling their networks demonstrates the ABF's commitment to safeguard the border and protect one of our most vital strategic national assets."
