Australian police have arrested a man they allege was behind a failed drug import plot that resulted in mysterious cocaine bricks washing up on east coast beaches for months.

A 36-year-old Queensland man is allegedly the head of a domestic crime network and played a key role in the collection and distribution of tonnes of cocaine across the country, Australian Federal Police said on Thursday.

But the man's criminal actions unravelled when 900 kilogrammes (almost 2,000 pounds) of cocaine was unable to be collected at sea.

About 256 kilogrammes of that product washed up in bricks on the shores of popular beaches from late 2023.

The man was arrested on Wednesday and hit with 19 charges. He could face life imprisonment if found guilty.

Australian Federal Police Superintendent Adrian Telfer said the origin of the drugs was still under investigation.