Two men have been jailed for almost two decades for their involvement in the importation of 1.28 tonnes of cocaine into Sydney in 2017.
The bust marked one of the second-largest drug seizures in Australian history at the time.
Australian Federal Police (AFP) established Operation Amorgos in 2017 after a container of prefabricated steel was intercepted by Australian Border Force (ABF) officers in Sydney.
The steel, which arrived from China, contained 2576 individual blocks of cocaine concealed inside.
Further forensic testing revealed the 1.28 tonne cocaine haul had about a 78 per cent purity equating to $500 million in street value.
After a nine-month transnational investigation, three Australian nationals were detained by Serbian authorities and extradited to Australia for their involvement in the importation.
A 40-year-old man, who had been residing in Dubai, was sentenced to a maximum of 20 years’ imprisonment on April 19, 2024.
A 53-year-old NSW man was sentenced to a maximum of 19 years’ imprisonment on May 3, 2024. 
The sentences come after a 49-year-old NSW man was jailed for 27 years for his role in the criminal enterprise in March, 2020.
Assistant Commissioner Stephen Dametto said the investigation “involved many painstaking hours of work and perseverance”.
“The importance of ongoing collaboration between the AFP and our law enforcement partners overseas to disrupt criminal ventures cannot be stressed enough,” Dametto said.
“These arrests could not have happened without the help of our Serbian and other international colleagues.
“Australia remains an attractive market for criminals seeking to import drugs, but the AFP is relentless in dismantling the syndicates behind the importations, wherever in the world they may be.”
Acting Assistant Commissioner Claire Rees said the ABF remained committed to disrupting criminals attempting to import illicit drugs.
“We work closely with our law enforcement partners to keep the Australian community safe, and regardless of the efforts of organised criminals, we will continue to remove harmful drugs off our streets,” Rees said.
