Three Mafia figures living freely in Australia and labelled "extremely dangerous" by Italian authorities have been sentenced in absentia to long jail terms for international drug trafficking.

Sydney's leafy streets are a world away from the opium-producing poppy fields of war-torn Afghanistan. But the rise of Iranian organised crime, flourishing internationally and entering Australia, is now reducing that gap.

Authorities are struggling to combat Mexican drug cartel operations in Australia, with the NSW Crime Commission revealing that importations can get back up and running within months of key players being locked up.

Four Spanish nationals were arrested after the Australian Federal Police seized approximately 300 kilograms of cocaine over the weekend.

Victoria Police has revealed its taskforce investigating illegal motorcycle gangs is paying dividends, today showing off weapons seized over the past six months - including a mini sub machine gun, shotguns and a semi-automatic handgun

South Australian police say they have smashed a multi-million dollar cannabis distribution and money laundering syndicate with the arrest of four men

Police say they have arrested every patched member of the Taranaki branch of the Rebels gang today as they continue to crack down on organised crime

Australia's popular Gold Coast tourist playground was reeling from another murder on Thursday with the Queensland Police Union saying it had become the country's crime capital

The leaking of highly sensitive NSW and Victorian police intelligence to outlaw bikie gangs is compromising state and national organised crime investigations and potentially endangering the lives of informers

The New Zealand government has unveiled the details of its new anti-cartel regime, including plans to jail offenders for up to seven years for breaches of the proposed competition legislation