A 70-year-old Kiwi has been charged over an alleged heroin import in Australia - and faces life in prison.
He is the second New Zealand pensioner to be charged with such offending this year.
The man is accused of concealing about 5kg of heroin inside his baggage in an alleged attempt to import the illicit drugs into Melbourne on Saturday.
Investigations began after Australian Border Force officers examined the man’s luggage at Melbourne Airport upon his flight’s arrival from Manila.
“Officers allegedly discovered anomalies within a brown suitcase and a handbag belonging to the passenger,” said an ABF spokesperson.
“Further examinations of both items revealed a white powdery substance which tested positive for the presence of heroin.
“The matter was subsequently referred to the Australian Federal Police and the passenger was arrested inside the terminal.”
The ABF said the amount of heroin found had an estimated street value over $2 million - and could have accounted for about 25,000 individual hits of heroin had it reached the Australian community.
The alleged smuggler is charged with one count of importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, and one count of possessing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug.
Under Australian law the maximum penalty for the charges is life imprisonment.
The New Zealander appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Saturday.
He did not apply for bail and was remanded in custody until his next court appearance in February.
“The AFP together with our law enforcement partners have prevented harmful, illicit drugs from reaching our community,” said AFP Detective Superintendent Anthony Hall.
“We remain committed to targeting, identifying and prosecuting transnational serious and organise criminals attempting to operate in our country and targeting us from offshore, along with the alleged drug mules trying to smuggle these drugs into our communities.
“This arrest should serve as yet another clear warning to anyone attempting to bring illicit drugs into Australia – you will be caught and you will face the full force of the law.”
ABF Superintendent Kelly-anne Parish said those “lured into doing the dirty work of organised crime groups should be aware that they don’t stand a chance at the Australian border.
”We too often see people from all walks of life enticed into situations like this by organised crime groups, for which the individual doing the dirty work faces very real consequences,” Parish said.
”Our message to people who are tempted by these types of illegal activities is clear: No offer is worth the risk.
“ABF officers are one step ahead of you and you will be caught out.
”The Australian border is our most critical national asset, and so ABF officers will continue to work around the clock to ensure it remains a hostile environment for those doing the wrong thing.”
In July, a 77-year-old New Zealander was stopped at Melbourne International Airport with 2kg of heroin in his possession when he arrived on a flight from Thailand.
ABF said at the time the heroin - 2000g in packages - was secreted in the linings of his suitcases.
According to the ABF they intercept 850 prohibited drug imports per week.
Earlier this year the force resolved a decade-long investigation into a smuggling operation being run by airline workers, with an arrest. An Australian national was arrested in March in connection with cocaine imports, which had been smuggled into the body of commercial jet aircraft arriving from Hong Kong in the early 2010s.
The ex-airline employee, whose brother and another accomplice had already been arrested and charged regarding the smuggling offence, made the mistake of returning to Australia after over a decade of living overseas.
Anna Leask is a Christchurch-based reporter who covers national crime and justice. She joined the Herald in 2008 and has worked as a journalist for 18 years. She writes, hosts and produces the award-winning podcast A Moment In Crime, released monthly on nzherald.co.nz
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