An elderly man has been charged with attempting to import 2kg of heroin into Australia in his luggage.
The 77-year-old was busted after Australian Border Force officers examined his suitcase after he arrived at Melbourne International Airport on a flight from Thailand yesterday.
They allegedly found white powder in the lining of the luggage, with testing returning a presumptive positive result for heroin.
The man, a New Zealand national, faced Melbourne’s Magistrates Court charged with importing a marketable quantity of a border-controlled substance and has been remanded in custody.
The maximum penalty for the offence is life imprisonment.
PHOTO: AFP
ABF Superintendent Kelly-Anne Parish said ABF officers are highly skilled and are always on alert to detect and stop the importation of illicit substances coming into Australia.
“Criminals will try to hide illicit drugs in a variety of ways, however no matter the amount of drugs that are hidden, big or small, our officers have the technology and expertise to find them,” Supt Parish said.
“This is a good example of the real-time capabilities of our officers working at the border, 24 hours a day, to protect the Australian community from harmful drugs.
“The ABF and AFP work hard to protect the Australian community from the scourge of drugs and ensure airports are not part of the illicit supply chain.”
