Man faces life in jail over 2kg of heroin detected by airport scanner
An elderly man could face life in prison after an airport scanner allegedly revealed a suspicious item hidden in his suitcase.
An elderly man has been charged after an airport X-ray scanner allegedly detected a strange item hidden in his suitcase.
The 77-year-old New Zealander arrived at Melbourne Airport from Thailand on Wednesday.
To an untrained eye, an X-ray image of the man’s bag produced by a security scanner revealed nothing unusual, but airport officials spotted some irregularities.
The bag was examined by Australian Border Force officers, who allegedly discovered “white powder” hidden in its lining.
Police allege a test revealed it was heroin.
About two kilograms of the drug was allegedly removed from the suitcase, police said.
The man faced Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday and was remanded in custody.
Australian Federal Police charged him with importing a marketable quantity of a border controlled substance, namely heroin.
He could face life in prison.
AFP Detecting Acting Superintendent Amanda Glover said the AFP worked with law enforcement partners to stop illicit drugs from reaching Australia.
“Drug traffickers prey on our community, causing drug-related crime and the associated health and social costs,” Ms Glover said.
“Every detection of drugs at the border keeps our community safer and ensure that drug traffickers cannot reap profits by preying on Australians.”
Australian Border Force Superintendent Kelly-Anne Parish said her officers were highly skilled and always on alert to detect illicit substances.
“Criminals will try to hide illicit drugs in a variety of ways, however no matter the amount of drugs that are hidden, big or small, our officers have the technology and expertise to find them,” she said.
“This is a good example of the real-time capabilities of our officers working at the border, 24 hours a day, to protect the Australian community from harmful drugs.
“The ABF and AFP work hard to protect the Australian community from the scourge of drugs and ensure airports are not part of the illicit supply chain.“
Qantas pilot named as crash victim
A Qantas pilot has been named as one of three victims who died in a horror mid-air crash in Sydney on Saturday.
Five injured in gas explosion at campground
Five people have been injured in a gas explosion at a campground in South Australia, with two of them in a serious condition.
Seaplane ditches into ocean at holiday hotspot
An investigation is underway after a seaplane carrying five people ditched into the ocean at a popular tourist hotspot.