Australian officials seized more than a ton of cocaine worth about 360 million Australian dollars ($260 million) in what police on Thursday dubbed one of the largest drug busts in the nation's history.
All of the men have been charged with conspiracy to import a commercial quantity of border-controlled drugs. If convicted, they could face a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The investigation began more than two years ago following a tip from a member of the public and enquiries were continuing, notably in South America.
The arrested, aged between 29 and 63 years, were charged with serious drug importation offences and all were refused bail.
Sydney's Daily Telegraph said one of the 15 in custody was a former rugby league star and another a Bondi businessman.
With high street prices attracting drug sellers to Australia, police said they made more than 18,000 imported drug seizures in the last year.
Daily Sabah
