Aussies in Serbia drug bust to return home

Two Australian men busted by Serbian police in connection with an alleged $500 million cocaine smuggling ring will return to Australia to face charges.

A Serbian court has ruled that two Australians arrested over a $500 million cocaine haul are to be extradited to Australia.

The Higher Court in Belgrade said on Thursday that Tristan Waters and Rohan Arnold "met legal conditions" for their extradition, which was requested by Australian authorities.

Salesyard director and steel importer Arnold, 44, and Waters, 34, who ran a now-closed Canberra nightclub Minque, were locked up when Serbian police stormed the lobby of a five-star Belgrade hotel in January over a syndicate that tried to bring more than a tonne of cocaine into Sydney via China last year.

A third Australian man, Murrumbateman local David Campbell, 48, remains in Serbia, with his case pending.

Serbian police at the time of the arrest said the men were linked to the discovery of 1.28 tonnes of cocaine last April on a Chinese freighter that docked in Sydney.

The cocaine haul - the second largest seizure in Australian history - was hidden inside pre-fabricated steel.

With AP and AAP