$100 million worth of cocaine from Mexican cartel smuggled into Australia inside aluminium ingots

Two men have been charged in Sydney after more than $100 million worth of cocaine disguised in aluminium bars was seized in a shipment from Mexico.

More than 230kg of cocaine, or enough "hits" for more than 1.1 million drug users, was hidden in the alloy ingots believed to have come from a Mexican cartel, Australian Federal Police said.

"This was a complex concealment and our investigators and forensic specialists had to slice the top off each and every ingot using industrial machinery to reveal the blocks hidden within the ingots.

"The method of concealment we have uncovered tells us this was an importation by a sophisticated, organised, transnational criminal syndicate who used industrial concealment techniques in an attempt to evade detection," Assistant Commander Brett James told reporters.

Police said the men - one 49-year-old from Auburn in Sydney's west, and another 61-year-old UK national living in Castle Hill - are suspected of having been set for a "key role" in the distribution of the drugs throughout the country.

The pair was expected to appear at Central Local Court today charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.