Australian authorities have arrested a 83-year-old man for allegedly trying to smuggle drugs into Australia. He has since appeared in the Melbourne Magistrate's Court on charges relating to drug possession and will reappear in court again on October 3.
It is alleged that the suspect, from the UK, was found with two kilograms of the drug at Melbourne Airport.
According to a joint media statement by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Australian Border Force (ABF), the man was nabbed after officers conducted an X-ray examination of his two carry-on bags, following his arrival in Australia, from Qatar.
"ABF officers allegedly found a white substance concealed in the man's black duffel bag, and further testing of the substance returned a positive result for heroin. The matter was subsequently referred to the AFP and the man was arrested at the International Arrivals Baggage Examination area," the statement read.
AFP Detective Superintendent Jason McArthur said criminal groups will go to any lengths to bring illicit substances into the country.
"We know the devastating impact heroin and other drugs have on individuals and their families, that's why we're committed to stopping the flow at our border. This amount of heroin would have accounted for 10,000 individual hits, had it reached Australian shores.
"The AFP will continue to work tirelessly with the ABF and other partners to ensure these dangerous substances don't reach our communities," he said.
McAurthur further thanked officials and members of the Melbourne Airport Aviation Operations team for their dedicated efforts.
Meanwhile, ABF Superintendent Kelly-Anne Parish said that although the market for illicit drugs in Australia is strong, officers remain fully committed to stopping their flow at the border.
“ABF officers at Melbourne International Airport are highly skilled to observe passenger behaviours, relying not purely on intelligence, but intuition and instinct to identify potential threats," Parish said.
She said criminals will try to hide illicit substances in a variety of ways, and officers have many sophisticated detection methods at their disposal.
“This detection of illicit drugs should serve as a warning to all travellers, regardless of age, who wish to run the gauntlet and attempt to bypass our border controls, we will stop you in your tracks and you will be placed before the courts,” she said.
The maximum penalty for these offences is life imprisonment.
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