Police hit the jackpot after finding a number of suitcases filled with more than £3 MILLION in cash.
Specialist cops discovered the massive sum of currency after swooping on an address as part of a global money laundering investigation.
The find, in Sydney, is thought to be one of the biggest cash seizures Australia has ever seen.
More than $5.7 million (£3.1m) was found packed into seven cases, with officers arresting a 58-year-old man who had only been in the country two days.
The American citizen, who denied the money was his, has been charged with dealing with the suspected proceeds of crime.
If found guilty, the maximum penalty is three years in jail, but he could face up to 25 years if police charge him with money laundering.
The find was part a major crackdown on the illegal drugs market and money laundering by the Australian Crime Commission.
It is thought there is a very complex network of criminals from 20 countries involved in channelling illicit gains in and out of Australia.
This includes terrorist organisations, drug cartels, human traffickers and biker gangs – with $30 billion (£16b) going through Australia each year.
So far officers have seized more than $26 million (£13.7m) in cash and $530 million (£281m) in drugs. There have also been 105 people arrested on 190 charges.
Michael Keenan, Australian Minister for Justice, described the results as “extraordinary”.
He said: “Seizing more than $550 million worth of drugs and cash is a significant blow to the criminal economy.
“The international money transfer business is a legitimate industry, and one which is now better protected against serious and organised crime.”
