Australian police seized 2.3 tonnes of cocaine worth $500 million, found on a broken boat

Australian police have seized 2.3 tonnes of cocaine from a broken boat on the coast of Queensland, authorities said today.

Eleven men and two minors were arrested, including the ship's crew and others waiting on the shore to pick up the illegal cargo, broadcast Telegrafi.

Drugs were worth an estimated $490 million, with the potential to distribute to 11.7 million separate road deals making it the largest cocaine seizure in Australian history.

Australian federal police claimed one of the men arrested on Saturday evening was deputy head of the Commanding Motorists Club Comanchero in Brisbane.

Motorists' gangs have been known in Australia for violence and drugs, with more than a thousand shots recorded since the 1980s.

The cocaine seizure came as part of a broader investigation into the Comanchero gang, with operation code-named Tyrrendor, which started last month.