A 74-year-old Greek national appeared in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday charged by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) with importing cocaine into Australia.
According to a joint statement from the AFP and Customs, the man arrived at Melbourne Airport on a flight from Abu Dhabi last Saturday, March 5. During an examination of the man’s suitcase, Customs and Border Protection officers detected an anomaly in the side wall.
Further investigations revealed a substance concealed between the side wall and inner lining of the suitcase, which after preliminary testing was indicated to be 1.95 kilograms of cocaine. The matter was referred to the AFP, who charged the man with importing a marketable quantity of a border controlled drug, namely cocaine, and possessing a marketable quantity of a border controlled drug.
The maximum penalty for these offences is 25 years imprisonment and/or a $550,000 fine.
Further forensic testing will be undertaken to confirm the exact weight and purity of the substance.