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tariffs

Canada Imposes New Tariffs on U.S. Imports Amid Deepening Trade War

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The trade fight between the United States and Canada entered a new phase Tuesday, when Canadian retaliatory tariffs took effect on roughly $20 billion worth of American imports.

The measures arrived after weeks of increasingly hostile rhetoric between President Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, whose government has vowed to answer U.S. tariffs “dollar for dollar.” Carney has described Canada as “at war” as he seeks to cast himself as a defender of the country against Trump’s trade policies.

The broader trade fight began after Trump returned to office last year and threatened tariffs on Canada and Mexico, accusing both countries of failing to do enough to prevent drugs and migrants from crossing into the United States. Some Canadian provinces later responded by pulling American liquor from store shelves.

The two governments later eased some of their toughest measures, but other disputes continued to strain the relationship. Trump declined to extend the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement beyond 2036, and officials from the two countries have also clashed over NATO and Trump’s repeated remarks about Canada becoming the 51st state.

Relations deteriorated sharply this summer, after Trump accused Canada of discriminating against American industries and threatened 50 percent tariffs on certain Canadian products unless the countries reached an agreement within 30 days.

Negotiations continued through much of August, and Trump at times suggested a deal was close. Instead, the talks broke down before the deadline, with officials from each country accusing the other of introducing unreasonable demands at the last minute.

Carney later said Washington had “asked too much and offered too little.” He also accused the administration of seeking influence over Canada’s trade agreements with other countries, which he portrayed as a threat to Canadian sovereignty. He said the U.S. “signature was written in pencil” on previous agreements.

Washington subsequently placed tariffs on hundreds of Canadian products, including cheese, wine, clothing and hockey sticks. Canadian officials responded by promising their own duties after Labor Day.

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Those tariffs are now in effect. The Canadian duties range from 15 percent to 50 percent, with the rate on each product designed to match the corresponding U.S. tariff. Products facing the highest rate include certain American dairy products, perfume, video game consoles, golf equipment, fishing rods, steel, aluminum and some clothing. Cheese, carpeting and some household appliances face 25 percent duties, while some industrial equipment is taxed at 15 percent. The measures extend the pattern of retaliation that has come to define the dispute.

Canada initially planned to include some U.S. seafood among the products facing tariffs but later removed those goods following pushback from the lobster industry.

For the moment, the direct economic damage may be relatively contained. The affected products represent only a fraction of the enormous volume of goods traded between the neighboring countries each year.

Economists have warned, however, that the Canadian tariffs could hit manufacturers in states such as Michigan and Indiana, as well as dairy producers in Wisconsin and Vermont, especially hard.

But the greater risk is that each round of retaliation produces another, expanding the number of products subject to tariffs and increasing costs for companies and consumers on both sides of the border.

“This tit-for-tat retaliation is bad for Canadian businesses and consumers, and bad for American businesses and consumers,” said Brad Wood, the senior director for trade and innovation at the National Foreign Trade Council, whose board includes companies such as Caterpillar, Exxon Mobil, Ford Motor and Walmart.

“Every escalation is one more layer of barriers that ultimately Canada and the United States need to resolve.”

The uncertainty now, he said, is whether Trump will act on his latest threats.

Those threats have continued to multiply. U.S. officials have derided Canada’s economy and military, while Trump has announced 50 percent tariffs on Canadian automotive and steel imports beginning in January and suggested Friday that he could attempt to stop trade between the two countries altogether.

He has also escalated his attacks beyond tariffs. Trump signed an executive order seeking to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America and, on Sunday, criticized Canada’s currency.

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“Canada’s (currency) Dollar imbalance with the U.S. is unacceptable,” he wrote on social media. “It has been that way for years — but no longer!”

Hours before the Canadian tariffs went into effect, Trump turned his attention to Bombardier, the Canadian aircraft manufacturer, declaring on social media that there would be “NO MORE SELLING BOMBARDIER IN THE UNITED STATES!”

Trump also accused Canada of blocking “our GREAT American Banks, and Companies,” and urged Americans to avoid Canadian products.

“BUY AMERICAN. FLY ON AMERICAN AIRLINERS. ENJOY AMERICAN LIQUOR AND BEVERAGES. SAIL ON LAKE AMERICA,” Trump wrote.

Bombardier responded by emphasizing the company’s extensive ties to the American aerospace industry. It produces important aircraft components, including wings, in California and Texas and relies on a broad U.S. supply chain.

“Bombardier is a strong contributor to the sector, creating tens of thousands of jobs across the United States.”

The confrontation with Canada is only one front in Trump’s broader effort to reshape U.S. trade through tariffs, which have remained a centerpiece of his economic agenda despite court setbacks, disputes with foreign governments and growing concerns about their domestic effects.

His administration is preparing another slate of tariffs aimed at dozens of countries it has accused of unfair trade practices. Officials are expected to argue that some countries produce excessive quantities of certain goods—a phenomenon the administration calls “excess capacity”—contributing to persistent U.S. trade deficits.

The new duties, which could be announced as soon as this week, are intended to replace some tariffs the Supreme Court struck down in February.

Trump has gone further still, threatening to stop trade with countries that sell more goods and services to the United States than they buy from it. The United States runs trade deficits with dozens of countries, including major partners in Europe and Asia, meaning such a policy could have sweeping economic consequences if carried out.

The administration’s continuing reliance on tariffs also comes as policymakers remain concerned about inflation. Because tariffs are taxes imposed on imported products, businesses and consumers can pass their costs along through higher prices.

For Canada and the United States, meanwhile, there is little indication that the cycle of retaliation is nearing an end. Canada’s new tariffs have now answered the U.S. measures imposed in August, while Trump continues to threaten still more penalties — leaving two longtime allies increasingly entrenched in a trade confrontation that only months ago both governments were trying to negotiate away.

flood

Rescue Efforts Continue In Nepal As Death Toll Exceeds 1,000

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Rescue teams are continuing to search through debris, rocks, destroyed roads, and mud this week on the border of Nepal and China as thousands of people are still missing after devastating floods took over communities all throughout the region, with the UN now reporting that more than 1,000 have died from the disaster. 

It’s been reported that police in Kathmandu are burying dozens of bodies in trenches. Nepal’s disaster agency said that 1,003 deaths have been counted there with over 3,900 people missing, including 583 foreign nationals. In China’s most recent update, they reported 16 deaths with 546 people missing, including 261 foreigners. 

The disaster occurred on August 26th and devastated both nations due to how large it was. Extremely heavy flooding led to intense landslides that destroyed roads and buildings while isolating more remote areas, making rescue efforts difficult. 

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The unstable terrain and debris are making it even more difficult for rescue crews to find people, and many are worried that the death toll could become much higher than it is currently. 

One of the rescue efforts involves hundreds of workers who are trapped inside tunnels at hydropower projects in Nepal due to flooding. According to local authorities, around 900 workers are missing from 12 projects with about 500 believed to be trapped in the tunnels themselves. 

Nepal’s army spokesperson, Brigadier General Rajaram Basnet, stated that teams who are being assisted by foreign experts were working at several hydropower projects. 

In China, rescue crews are dealing with a lot of rescue missions in areas hit by mudslides, specifically around the Gyirong Port border crossing which was destroyed. 

Rescuers are utilizing search dogs to look among rocks and debris for signs of life, with other teams using heavy machinery to clear out areas to make way for more equipment, personnel, and supplies to reach the disaster zone, according to China’s state-run Global Times newspaper. 

In Kathmandu, police have also been dealing with heavy rain conditions this week as they continue to bury dozens of bodies in multiple tranches adjacent to forested areas. 

All throughout Nepal, authorities have been using temporary graves until the individuals can be identified. As a part of this effort they’re also preserving DNA samples, photographing distinguishing marks and facial features, and taking detailed records of each victim to ideally be able to swiftly give their loved ones some closure. 

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Authorities in Nepal reported that at least 11,814 people have been rescued so far, with emergency crews using helicopters and other aircrafts to reach communities that are stranded due to roads and bridges being destroyed from flooding and landslides. 

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Guo Jiakun, stated that efforts are being stepped up to help provide assistance to survivors in areas that have been cut off or damaged. He emphasized that a second batch of relief supplies was being sent to Nepal. Drones, DNA testing, and water purification equipment will be utilized. 

Bimal Sharma, a helicopter pilot who’s experienced in flying rescue and relief missions, told the media that he was shocked to see the devastation in Timure, the border town close to Tibet. 

“It felt like I was flying over an entirely different landscape. I can see the pain in [the survivors] eyes. It’s heartbreaking.”

Scientists who are studying satellite imagery of the disaster stated that it began in the Himalayas when a glacial collapse sent a large amount of rocks, ice , and meltwater into the valleys below, which triggered the major flooding. The rockfall alone was powerful enough to register as a magnitude 5.2 seismic event. 

Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah stated that the disaster shows just how much the world needs to take action to combat climate change. 

“This incident has indicated that the risks we face in the Himalayan region are increasing with climate change,” Shah said.

“Therefore, this region must be alert, and at the same time, it is time for us to strongly raise the issue of disasters caused by climate change before the international community.”

mining

Multiple Nations Are Turning To Brazil For Rare Earth Minerals, Raising Environmental Concerns 

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Brazil is emerging as an alternative to China’s dominance when it comes to rare earth minerals, leading to a global race to secure the materials that are used for nearly everything. From clean energy resources, smart technology, medical equipment, batteries, lights, and so much more, having access to these minerals is integral for nearly every industry. 

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wildfires

Effects Of Europe And North America Wildfires Could Last For Years

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Wildfires across the globe have been rampant this summer, and are being fueled by the impact of climate change. These fires have forced thousands of individuals to flee their homes while they destroy forests, buildings, and dried out land. Experts are now looking at wildfires from years ago to prepare for the lasting effects of the blazes currently occurring throughout Europe and North America. 

This season, about 1,000 fires have been reported in the boreal forests of Canada, leading to a multitude of evacuations in both Canada and US cities as toxic smoke spreads in the air. 

The US is also experiencing a third major heatwave within a month that is causing parched land to dry, creating a perfect environment for wildfires to ignite and spread easily. Washington, eastern Oregon, and Idaho have been experiencing fires that are so intense, plumes of smoke have reached Florida, according to reports. 

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Europe has been experiencing major wildfires all throughout the UK, France, and Spain, causing mass evacuations for over 250,000 people. 

The continuous burning of fossil fuels throughout the past decades have made the climate crisis even worse, creating fire-prone conditions around the world. Pedro Sánchez, Spain’s prime minister, emphasized the severity of these extreme weather events, pointing out how “the entire Iberian peninsula is suffering the effects of the climate emergency in a very specific way.”

Scientists have been consistently raising alarms about the consistent lingering impact of wildfire smoke, which can trigger severe respiratory and cardiac problems. In fact, according to a new study recently published in JACC Journals, it’s been shown that tiny particles carried in wildfire smoke can raise the risk of hospitalization specifically in older people who might even be hundreds of miles away from the actual fires. 

“The cardiovascular toll of wildfire smoke reaches well beyond the fire lines and well beyond the day the sky turns orange,” said Kai Chen, the study’s co-author and associate professor of epidemiology at Yale’s School of Public Health. 

The wildfires that have occurred and increased within the past few years are giving scientists the data they need to better determine long-term impacts on humanity, however, the information is fairly new. One of the biggest resources for this study, and other ongoing ones, has been looking at Maui, which suffered a devastating wildfire three years ago that killed over 100 people and destroyed several thousand buildings. 

The second largest island is still suffering from the aftermath three years later. There has been a major increase in health concerns like poor lung functioning, high blood pressure, and mental health challenges, according to the Maui Wildfire Exposure Study, led by researchers at the University of Hawaii and released on Monday.

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Alika Maunakea, co-director of Maui study and a professor at the school of medicine in the University of Hawaii, said that “the progress is real, and it should be recognized.”

“The biological, emotional, and social consequences of a disaster do not disappear on the same timeline as debris removal or reconstruction.”

The Maui study was conducted utilizing screenings of over 2,500 participants, and it reported that 50% of the adults experienced continuous depressive symptoms with about 20% reported experiencing post-traumatic stress. There was also severe depression and post-traumatic stress symptoms found in children and adolescents, as well as blood pressure readings and obesity levels. 

“Children may appear resilient while still carrying significant emotional and physical effects beneath the surface,” said Christopher Knightsbridge, a mental health therapist based in Lahaina, one of the towns that was widely destroyed by the fires.

“Supporting children means supporting the entire family, including their housing, food security, daily routines and access to trusted care.”

In another research paper published last year, scientists found that there was a 7% increase in mortality among older people in Southern California over a three-year period due to wildfire smoke exposure. Lara Schwarz, an environmental health scientist at UC Berkeley who led the research, recommended that “activation of public health measures such as clean air centers should not only depend on intensity of smoke, as the long-term effects can be harmful, even at low levels.” 

“As wildfires become more frequent and severe in the context of climate change, with California being at high risk, understanding how these harmful wildfires will affect us in the long term is critical to informing better public health action and response.”

Venezuela earthquake

Venezuela Coping With Environmental And Health Risks After Devastating Earthquakes 

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Venezuela experienced devastating earthquakes over a month ago, and to this day the nation is rebuilding while coping with a multitude of developing environmental and health risks.

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Trump Accuses China of 2020 Election Interference Ahead of Midterms

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President Donald Trump used a primetime White House address on Thursday to renew his push for sweeping changes to US election laws, while accusing China of interfering in the 2020 presidential race and warning of what he described as “shocking vulnerabilities” in American voting systems. The half-hour speech came three months before November’s midterm elections, which will determine control of Congress for the remainder of Trump’s presidency.

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social media

U.K. Unveils Overnight Social Media Limits for 16- and 17-Year-Olds

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A monthlong experiment restricting teenagers’ social media use found that an overnight curfew offered the best balance between improving their well-being and allowing them to stay connected with friends.

More than 300 teenagers and parents from across the U.K. participated in the trial, which tested three different interventions. Some teenagers were limited to 15 minutes of social media use each day, others were blocked from accessing apps between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m., and a third group removed selected platforms entirely.

Participants reported benefits including improved mood, lower stress, greater energy during the day, better sleep and increased concentration. At the same time, the teenagers described a “social and emotional trade-off,” as social media remained an important way to communicate with friends who were not subject to the same restrictions.

The overnight curfew ultimately emerged as the most popular option, with participants viewing it as less socially disruptive than sharply limiting daily use or deleting apps altogether.

The findings are now informing a new set of online safety measures proposed by the U.K. government Wednesday for 16- and 17-year-olds.

Under the proposal, social media accounts belonging to older teenagers would come with an overnight curfew enabled by default beginning at midnight. The restriction would remain in place until 6 a.m., making platforms including Instagram, TikTok and YouTube unavailable through the affected accounts during those hours unless users changed their settings. Features intended to encourage prolonged use, including autoplay and infinite scrolling, would also be automatically disabled.

Teenagers would still be allowed to turn off or adjust those default settings. The measures are expected to come into force by spring 2027.

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said the changes would be “crucial in helping young people get the sleep they need, focus on school and college, and spend more quality time with family and friends, all of which are fundamental to building a happy, healthy and fulfilling adult life.”

Online Safety Minister Kanishka Narayan similarly defended the proposals, arguing that the curfew and restrictions on autoplay would make Britain “the most robust place in the world when it comes to regulating” technology companies.

The proposal is part of a broader international effort to place tighter limits on children’s access to social media as technology companies face increasing scrutiny over the safety and potentially addictive design of their platforms.

It also joins an increasingly complicated collection of online safety measures already available to families, including optional parental controls on children’s devices and child-focused versions of major services such as YouTube.

“There have been concerns about the way services keep children and young people engaged on their phones for long periods, and that this can impact their sleep, amongst other effects,” Lorna Woods, a professor of internet law at the University of Essex, told the BBC.

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In June, outgoing U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced plans for a more sweeping restriction: a blanket social media ban for children under 16. The ban would cover major services including TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and X.

The U.K. announcement followed Australia’s move in December to become the first country in the world to enforce a legal social media ban for users under 16.

The government plans to present its latest proposals to Parliament by the end of 2026, to implement them alongside the under-16 ban the following spring.

It also announced plans for additional safeguards governing children’s use of artificial intelligence chatbots, including requirements for providers to introduce regular breaks for users under 18.

European Union officials are also advancing restrictions aimed at younger users. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Monday that the region would move forward with age limits for social media platforms to reduce use among children and teenagers.

Technology companies, meanwhile, have defended the safeguards already built into their platforms. Ali Law, TikTok’s director of public policy and government affairs in Northern Europe, said during a Tuesday appearance with CNBC that the app was designed with the safety of younger users in mind.

According to Law, TikTok has more than 50 preset protections for users under 16. Those measures include a one-hour daily screen-time limit and a full-screen prompt appearing at 10 p.m. that encourages teenagers to stop using the app and take a break.

“All of these are little default aspects, little nudges to make sure that people have a balanced and healthy relationship with our app, because that works in our interests…because if people are using it for too much and are burnt out, they’re not going to get value from it.”

Other technology companies have argued that responsibility for verifying users’ ages should not rest solely with individual platforms. Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has previously called for age verification to be handled by device manufacturers.

Apple has since introduced device-level age checks that ask people using iPhones and iPads with the latest operating software to verify their ages.

Baroness Beeban Kidron, a longtime advocate for device-level safety and age-verification measures, criticized the government for focusing too heavily on restricting children’s access rather than changing the products themselves. She said the objective should not be “banning children from tech” but “banning tech from putting toxic products in the hands of children.”

The ability of teenagers to disable the proposed protections has drawn criticism from campaigners, opposition politicians and online safety experts who question whether the default settings will have a meaningful effect.

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Ellen Roome, who believes her 14-year-old son, Jools Sweeney, died in 2022 after participating in a dangerous online challenge, argued that an optional restriction would be too easy for teenagers to circumvent.

“I just think it’s not good enough really just to have a product you can switch off, it’s a bit like offering a 17-year-old a bottle of alcohol and then moving it slightly out of arm’s reach, they can just drag it back in. I really wish they could go stronger and harder on these things.”

Andy Burrows, chief executive of the Molly Rose Foundation, welcomed the attention given to older teenagers but said the announcement remained too narrow.

“While we welcome these measures for older teens, this latest move is yet another piecemeal set of announcements, not the comprehensive plan for children’s safety that’s required,” Burrows said.

Some experts have also warned that a blanket nighttime restriction could unintentionally cut vulnerable teenagers off from support. Sonia Livingstone, a professor specializing in children’s digital rights at the London School of Economics, said a distinction should be made between curbing disruptive platform features and completely blocking access.

“If it’s a curfew on companies using push notifications to wake someone up in the night, absolutely have a curfew,” Livingstone told the BBC.

“But if it’s a curfew that prevents a child in need of support or help or comfort reaching out to trusted sources in the middle of the night, I think that’s quite harmful potentially.”

Dame Rachel de Souza, the children’s commissioner for England, said young people generally oppose outright bans but support protections from features that encourage compulsive use.

“We have to listen to young people. They don’t want a ban, but they do want to be protected from addictive, infinite scrolling,” she said.

De Souza added that she wanted more details on how the curfew would be enforced and said she would press the communications regulator, Ofcom, to fully exercise its authority over online safety.

Social media analyst Matt Navarra dismissed the proposal as “not a curfew,” but a “mildly annoying settings prompt with a government press release attached.”

“The UK Government is calling this ‘world-leading’ online safety, but with no VPN restrictions, it’s leaving the side door open and putting up a sign asking teens not to use it,” Navarra said.

The government does not currently plan to restrict virtual private networks, which can disguise a user’s location and have previously been used to evade online controls, including Australia’s social media restrictions. Officials said VPNs remain important to whistleblowers, minority communities and families seeking privacy.

Government-commissioned research also found little evidence that large numbers of children were using VPNs to bypass age-verification systems.

“We have decided not to limit VPNs today, and that’s the primary conclusion for now, but it is something we will continue to review,” Narayan said.

ai

Artificial Intelligence Is A ‘Hiroshima’-Style Threat To Humanity Without Regulations, Foreign Secretary Says 

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Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper has warned that artificial intelligence poses a “Hiroshima”-style risk to humanity if global governments do not agree to regulate and limit how it is developed and used. 

Cooper recently told the Guardian that she’s urging nations to agree on international rules for AI and believes that the issue will be dominating foreign policy over the next two years. 

In an essay recently published by the Chatham House thinktank, Cooper covered her thoughts on many global issues from the new technology to Palestine. She emphasized that the world was at a dangerous time, pointing out that the permanent withdrawal of the US from its role as global arbiter is a key to many issues. 

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The foreign secretary spoke in another interview about her biggest concerns regarding AI and the Palestine peace process specifically. 

“On nuclear, international agreement came only after the world saw the terrifying power of the new technology at Hiroshima – and asked what would happen if it fell into the wrong hands. We cannot afford to wait for an AI equivalent of Hiroshima before we act.”

“Across the world, people are feeling the same thing – there is amazing potential here, but there is also huge risk,” Cooper told the Guardian. 

“We are already in a world where we have malign actors who will use technology against us – whether that be hybrid threats, whether that be state-backed criminal groups or other kinds of organizations, or extremists and terror groups.”

“I think AI is going to end up being the dominant foreign policy issue that we deal with over the next two years,” she added. 

Cooper said AI is just one area that is threatening global security currently, adding that the climate crisis, irregular migration, and foreign interference on western liberal democracy are also adding to international hazards.

Her essay clearly laid her own worldview and where she thinks her department should devote its attention to in the coming years. 

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Cooper also wrote that European powers need to adjust to the idea that the US will no longer guarantee international peace and democracy due to its current administration. Even after Donald Trump’s presidency, foreign bodies need to pay attention to the lasting impact, she explained.

“We should no longer expect the US to play the role it once did. There will continue to be issues where we disagree. But reduced dependence on any single ally will make us stronger.”

She also offered potential solutions to help the world’s future, such as having the UK and EU negotiate a more permanent settlement instead of attempting to renegotiate individual elements of trading arrangements multiple times. 

The government is also working on finalizing the latest round of EU renegotiation as ministers look to meet new deals on agriculture, electricity trading, and visas for young people. These were meant to be announced at a summit later this month, but were pushed back as EU officials hope to engage with the incoming Burnham government first. 

“We need to develop a new, structured relationship with Europe, leading the development of its new security architecture, with a more European Nato at its core. And we must settle our relationship with the EU as a closer but stable partnership, rather than one based on endless incremental bargaining,” Cooper wrote in her essay. 

China’s New Ethnic Unity Law Extends Assimilation Push Beyond Its Borders

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China has enacted a sweeping new law requiring schools, families and government agencies to promote a unified national identity while giving authorities the ability to pursue organizations and individuals overseas accused of threatening Beijing’s vision of social cohesion. The Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law, which took effect July 1, prohibits acts that “undermine ethnic unity or create ethnic division” among China’s 56 officially recognized ethnic groups, including the Han Chinese majority, which makes up more than 90% of the country’s 1.4 billion people.

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police

Record Cocaine Bust in Australia Uncovers Buried Drug Caches and Suspected Crime Network

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A record cocaine seizure in Australia has exposed what police described as an elaborate international trafficking operation involving buried drug caches, a suspected foreign supply vessel and an alleged Sydney-based crime network.

Authorities said Monday that investigators recovered 2.7 tons of cocaine from underground bunkers hidden on a semi-rural property in Londonderry, a northwestern suburb of greater Sydney.

The drugs, which police said were packed inside plastic tubs and buried beneath false floors, represent the largest cocaine seizure ever recorded in Australia and the country’s biggest drug bust in nearly two decades, second only to a 4.5-ton MDMA seizure in Melbourne in 2007.

The discovery was made Friday during an operation by a joint organized crime task force, with Australian Federal Police working alongside investigators from multiple states as part of Operation Minjiang, a Queensland-based task force focused on an alleged east coast drug network.

Two men, ages 21 and 25, were arrested at the property after they allegedly tried to flee from officers. Police described them as lower-level participants in a wider importation network linked to the Coconut Cartel syndicate, which authorities said includes former members of a prominent Sydney crime family. Each has been charged with possessing a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported drug, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. The men were refused bail Saturday and are expected to appear in Penrith Local Court on August 13.

Investigators allege the cocaine was imported through northern Queensland, where a foreign vessel offloaded the shipment before it was moved south to Sydney for distribution. Authorities said the importation was allegedly arranged by a Sydney-based organized crime group.

A vessel suspected of serving as the mother ship in the importation, the MV Wealth, has been detained in the Solomon Islands while authorities continue to examine its alleged role. The vessel is registered in Belize, though investigators said the cocaine’s point of origin remains unclear and may have been loaded anywhere from South America to northeast Asia.

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Australian Federal Police Commander Stephen Jay said investigators are still working to trace the shipment and identify the broader network behind it.

“Investigations into the origin of the drugs remain ongoing, and we will work with our international and domestic law enforcement partners to identify the criminal syndicates.”

Jay said the cocaine could have generated more than Aus$800 million ($560 million) if sold on the street — proceeds that, “won’t make it into the pockets of organized crime.” Police placed the estimated street value at about Aus$816 million and said the amount seized was equivalent to roughly 3 million street-level deals.

“This alleged plot to distribute nearly three tons of cocaine … demonstrates how highly organized and determined these criminal networks are,” Jay said.

“We will work … to identify the criminal syndicates and anyone else involved in facilitating this alleged attempted drug import,” he added.

Jay said the loss would likely reverberate through the criminal network behind the shipment.

“There’ll be some soul-searching, no doubt, about losing Australia’s largest quantity of cocaine,” he said.

Police said six other people linked to the alleged importation had already been arrested and charged with drug-related offenses. One of them, a 31-year-old woman, allegedly lived at a suspected safehouse connected to the operation and was involved in storing the cocaine.

The broader investigation began in May, after Queensland police found 40 kilograms of cocaine in the water near the Midge Point boat ramp following reports of a burned-out flatbed truck. The six people later charged faced varying allegations, including drug possession and dealing with proceeds of crime.

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“We know criminals go to extreme lengths, and often risk their own lives, to smuggle drugs into Australia with no regard to the harm they cause to Australian communities.”

Since Operation Minjiang began in May, authorities have also seized 178 kilograms of cocaine and 142 kilograms of methamphetamine, bringing the total amount of drugs confiscated through the investigation to more than 3 tons.

Queensland Police Acting Chief Superintendent Troy Pukallus said the case grew from local police work into a broader multi-agency investigation.

“What began with the actions of Mackay police … evolved into a sophisticated, multi-agency investigation targeting an organized criminal network,” he said.

The case also highlights the growing role of Pacific Island states as transit points for illicit drug shipments headed toward Australia and New Zealand. Authorities have previously warned that cocaine and methamphetamine are being moved through the region from as far away as South America and Southeast Asia.

“Criminals don’t care about borders, and they exploit our oceans to traffic drugs,” police said in a post on social media.

The record seizure comes amid growing concern about cocaine use and its consequences in Australia. Cocaine-related deaths rose 28% to a record 141 in 2024, according to an annual overdose report released this month by the Penington Institute, a drug-use research organization.

It also follows a series of major cocaine busts in the country. Last September, three dockworkers were arrested after authorities found more than 1,000 pounds of cocaine hidden behind a false wall inside a shipping container at Sydney’s waterfront. That same month, police said they had dismantled a trafficking ring known as “The Commission,” which allegedly brought more than a ton of cocaine into Australia within a few months.

In December 2024, Australian police seized 2.3 tons of cocaine and arrested 13 people after a fishing boat broke down off the Queensland coast.

The Londonderry discovery is also the second major underground drug operation revealed this month. In early June, U.S. authorities said they found a 2,000-foot tunnel connecting border cities in Mexico and California. The tunnel was equipped with electricity, reinforced walls, ventilation and a rail system.