Irish traveller admits to smuggling cocaine into Melbourne in Kinder Surprise eggs

An Irish man caught at Melbourne Airport smuggling nearly 100g of cocaine, by concealing it internally in Kinder Surprise capsules, says he did it to pay off a drug debt back home.

A Irish man has admitted to smuggling cocaine into Melbourne in Kinder Surprise capsules. Picture: Supplied

An Irish man who was caught smuggling cocaine inside Kinder Surprise capsules at Melbourne Airport admitted to police he had “something up (his) arse”.

Sam Mooney, 28, from Dublin, was on Wednesday jailed for three years and three months with a non-parole period of 20 months after he pleaded guilty to importing nearly 100g of the drug to pay off a €13,000 drug debt in his home country.

The County Court heard Mooney arrived on a flight from the Middle East on December 28 and told Australian Border Force officers he was on a 10-day holiday to visit mates on the Gold Coast.

But after his luggage returned a positive result for cocaine from a swab, Mooney was passed on to Australian Federal Police who took him to hospital for medical scans.

While he was being transferred, Mooney told officers: “I’ve got something up my arse”.

He excreted five yellow capsules and said he had “one more inside” which followed soon after.

After he was arrested and charged, Mooney admitted smuggling the drugs but did not disclose where he got them from and denied he was being paid.

Mooney attempted to smuggle cocaine into Melbourne Airport but was caught by police. Picture: Adam Daunt

The court heard Mooney had racked up a drug debt of €13,000 – about $21,000 – but had been offered a “way out” by smuggling cocaine into Australia.

His lawyer Emily Allan said her client had struggled with drug addiction and “impulsiveness” as a result of an acquired brain injury from a serious assault in 2017.

“It has been a monumental stuff-up,” she said.

“(Prison) has been a blunt wake-up call.”

Ms Allan said Mooney maintained the support of his family, including his parents and girlfriend who had flown to Melbourne from Ireland earlier this week and were seated in court.

She said Mooney’s parents had paid off their son’s drug debt and his father had offered him a final chance with a job at his milk distribution business if he remained drug free upon his release.

“They (his family) really noticed a downward spiral, he’d switched off … things were really at a low place at this point,” she said.

Judge John Carmody accepted Mooney had entered an early guilty plea and said his rehabilitation depended on his ability to stay off drugs.

“He’s made frank admissions, perhaps that’s the Irish way,” he said.

“Simple for his rehabilitation, no drugs he’s fine.”

In his sentencing remarks, Judge Carmody encouraged Mooney to get clean from drugs.

“You are an example of a young man with a good family upbringing who’s been undone by drug addiction,” he said.

“Everything is in place for you to live a good, productive, law-abiding life.”

Mooney nodded in agreement as the judge spoke and hugged family members from the dock after the sentence.

With time served, he will be eligible for supervised release in August next year.