Court appearances have been scheduled in October for three Canadians charged with drug smuggling Monday after Australian Police allegedly found 95 kilograms of cocaine in their luggage during a cruise.
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“This particular cruise ship – because of the nature and the amount of ports it had been to – was considered quite high risk in itself”, said the regional commander for the Australian Border Force (ABF), Tim Fitzgerald.
The three face a maximum life imprisonment for attempting to smuggle the 95 kilograms of cocaine packed inside suitcases.
While berthed in Sydney, Police arrested 63-year-old Andre Tamine, 28-year-old Isabelle Lagace, and 22-year-old Melina Roberce on Sunday on the MS Sea Princess.
Customs officers boarded the vessel and searched cabins with the help of sniffer dogs, they said in a statement.
The arrest followed a joint operation by the Australian Border Force, Australian Federal Police as well as authorities in the US, New Zealand and Canada.
“These syndicates should be on notice that the Australian Border Force is aware of all of the different ways they attempt to smuggle drugs into our country and we are working with a range of global agencies to stop them”, he said.
Clive Murray, assistant commissioner of strategic border command with the Australian Border Force, said the incident was an example of worldwide co-operation in the fight against global drug syndicates.
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The AFP said investigations remained ongoing and they had not ruled out further arrests.
