Attempt to cross Queensland border nets Victorians $24,000 in fines
An attempt by six Victorians to cross the Queensland border in a mini-van has cost them big time after cops foiled their plan. WATCH THE VIDEO.
QLD News
Don't miss out on the headlines from QLD News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A GROUP of Victorians have been caught lying to Police after attempting to cross Queensland’s border twice.
The audacious stunt saw the minivan load of six Victorian travellers fined a total of $24,000.
Police said they first intercepted the minivan on Saturday night where all six occupants were refused entry at the M1 border control check point.
Drivers stuck in traffic hell crossing Queensland border
Stop being so frigging selfish: Top doc’s warning to Queenslanders
Queenslanders warned over pub outbreak
They were then spotted and stopped by Border Police in Coolangatta on Sunday afternoon, who discovered the group had falsified their border crossing forms.
“After speaking with the 19-year-old male driver, it will be alleged the same group were attempting to cross with border with declarations falsely claiming they had not been in Victoria in the previous 14 days,” a police statement said.
Location tracking and previously taken photos seized from the group’s phones revealed they had travelled from Victoria within the past 14 days.
This resulted in six people, aged between 18-28 years old, being fined $4,003 each, bringing the total cost of the road trip to $24,000.
Seven News reportedly spoke to some of the overzealous crossers, who all appeared to take the experience in their stride.
“100 per cent we definitely knew we were breaking the rules,” one of the fined travellers said. “Money doesn’t run the world, it’s all good,” another added.
The shocking act follows Queensland opening its borders to Australia on Friday while tightening except Victorians, following an alarming number of new COVID cases in the southern state.
Dozens of Victorians have been turned away from border checkpoints on the Gold Coast as Queensland battles to keep the COVID pandemic at bay.
By late Saturday – 30 hours since border restrictions on interstate travel were eased, police manning checkpoints at Coolangatta and Tugun had turned back 46 people attempting to enter Queensland who were suspected of having been in Victorian hot spots in the past 14 days.
Originally published as Attempt to cross Queensland border nets Victorians $24,000 in fines
Wild hailstorm slams into Sunshine Coast, warning active
A severe storm warning has been issued for areas of north of Brisbane with large hail and damaging winds likely. Hail has been recorded across the Sunshine Coast.
Miles and Crisafulli awaken the sleeping giant. But is it too late?
It’s taken just a week for David Crisafulli and Steven Miles to awaken the sleeping giant of every election – health. But is it too late to sway voters, asks state political editor Hayden Johnson?