NZ woman remanded in Sydney over cocaine pellet smuggling

SYDNEY - A New Zealand woman was remanded in custody today by a Sydney court accused of importing cocaine pellets in her underwear.

Customs officers at Sydney International Airport became suspicious of a 34-year-old woman during a baggage examination after she arrived on a flight from Bangkok on January 15.

Pellets of cocaine were allegedly found in the woman's underwear and she was later taken for a medical examination after Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers became suspicious she was also concealing the drug internally.

The woman, who lives in Australia, was charged with attempting to import cocaine and appeared in Central Local Court today. She entered no plea.

She allegedly had 91 pellets in her possession, but it could not be confirmed just how many she was carrying internally.

AFP acting national manager for border operations, Bruce Hill, said people carrying drugs internally put their lives at risk.

"People should never swallow pellets of drugs," he said in a statement.

"A person can die within half-an-hour if a bag of heroin bursts inside their stomach.

"Cocaine is also extremely dangerous and can be lethal."

Earlier this week, a 40-year-old Vietnamese-born Australian woman appeared in court after she allegedly tried to smuggle nine heroin pellets into Australia.

The maximum penalty for drug smuggling is a fine of up to A$750,000 ($826,000) and/or life imprisonment.

- AAP, NZPA