AFP arrests 18 elderly drug mules who claim they were blackmailed into smuggling

Police have been shocked by the number of older international travellers arriving in Sydney with huge amounts of drugs in their bags – and claiming they were forced to do it after being scammed online.

Sydney Airport has been hit by an invasion of elderly foreign drug mules who have told Australian Federal Police officers that they were forced into smuggling after being scammed and blackmailed by overseas criminals.

Customs officials were at first astonished to find elderly passengers with huge amounts of drugs in their bags, but what began as an isolated incident has now become a disturbing pattern, with 18 intercepted in the past year.

Each time these elderly passengers were caught by border officials, they claimed they had been coerced into bringing the substances into Australia by criminal gangs who had scammed them of their savings.

In July, three elderly US citizens arrived from Zimbabwe with 15kg of meth and 1.5kg of cocaine in their suitcases.

They told the AFP they were forced to carry the drugs by men from Nigeria and the UK after losing $500,000 in an online scam.

Some of the drugs carried in by a 57-year-old Korean man.

He was charged with importing a commercial quantity of cocaine

In the same month two Germans arrived into Sydney Airport with 18kg of meth in their six suitcases, again from Zimbabwe.

They, too, blamed a man from the UK, after they had fallen for the scam of picking up an “inheritance” of $10 million.

Commander Kate Ferry said the overseas crims gave the elderly victims ‘false hope’ they could get their money back. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

In August the youngest mule, a 57-year-old Korean national, landed in Sydney with 2.5kg of cocaine allegedly stuffed in his suitcase.

He remains in custody after being charged with importing a commercial quantity of cocaine.

He told police he was scammed and the criminals told him if he travelled to Belgium he would be given his money back, but if he travelled to Australia he would get it faster.

AFP Commander Kate Ferry said the passengers were “unwittingly” duped and given “false hope” they could recoup their money if they brought the drugs into the country.

“The victims of scams are already facing significant financial hardship along with any additional emotional trauma as a result of the online scam,” Commander Ferry said.

“These criminals prey on the vulnerable and, at times, naive, and further victimise them by banking on the fact that they will do whatever it takes to recover their funds.

The drugs allegedly found with the Korean man were stuffed inside a book.

“Criminal syndicates, by their very nature, exploit vulnerable communities and will undertake whatever tactics necessary to import drugs into our country.”

It comes after a similar trend emerged last year that saw the AFP swarm on a number of Iranian ex-pats living in Australia who had been recruited into a scheme that saw them paid for storing packages.

The unwitting victims, mostly in Victoria, were offered lucrative sums to receive packages from overseas they believed related to legitimate business.

In their case the victims were contacted by a religious leader in Iran on WhatsApp where they were offered the chance to distribute Iranian agricultural products in Australia.

In reality the packages contained drugs.

“We understand that this is an incredibly difficult situation for this vulnerable community who have been brought into this situation but we do need to ensure the Australian community is kept safe from the importation of dangerous drugs,” Australian Border Force Commander Susan Drennan said.

“I urge those in the community that are approached by criminal groups to seek the help of authorities, rather than resort to criminal activity themselves.”

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