Briton arrested on same cocaine cruise

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A British cruise ship passenger has been arrested in Sydney after he allegedly tried to smuggle 30kg of cocaine into Australia.

The 59-year-old UK national, who travelled to Sydney aboard the P&O ship Aurora, was stopped by Customs and Border Protection officers last Friday at the Overseas Passenger Terminal, after a sniffer dog detected the scent of drugs.

He was found to be hiding several silver packages inside a wetsuit he was wearing under his clothes, and another 25 packages concealed in three suitcases.

Officers from the Australian Federal Police (AFP) estimate the man was carrying a total of 30kg of cocaine.

He has been charged with importing a commercial quantity of a border protected drug and is due to appear in Sydney Central Local Court on Wednesday.

The offence carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and a fine of up to $825,000.

The arrest follows an international investigation during which US authorities arrested an Australian man and two New Zealanders on board the same ship when it docked in San Francisco on January 25.

Around 13kg of cocaine was seized and all three people were charged with offences relating to its possession.

"Operations like this send a very strong message that Australia is not an easy target for the importation of illegal substances,'' AFP crime operations manager Peter Sykora said in a statement.