Melbourne woman Debbie Voulgaris has lost her appeal against a 16-year prison sentence in Taiwan, leaving her family, who insist she was duped into unknowingly transporting drugs, heartbroken.
The 57-year-old mother of five was arrested in December 2023 at Taoyuan International Airport, where authorities discovered more than seven kilograms of heroin and cocaine in her luggage—an estimated street value of $1.25 million.
Facing the death penalty if convicted at trial, Voulgaris pleaded guilty in early 2024 in the hope of receiving a lighter sentence. Despite her plea, she was handed a 16-year term—one of the toughest drug-related penalties given to an Australian overseas in recent years.
Her appeal to Taiwan’s High Court was recently denied, despite her family’s ongoing claims that she was an unwitting victim of a “black money scam”—a scheme in which individuals are tricked into transporting illicit goods under false pretences.
Speaking to 10 News+, her son Arthur Koromilis said the family was devastated by the decision.
“There’s nothing we can do. We’re powerless,” he said. “I know she is [innocent]… without a doubt.”
Voulgaris’s daughter Maria has told Neos Kosmos that she will provide comment.
