| South American handicrafts conceal cocaine - Busted in Australia |
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A 25-year-old Taiwanese woman has been stopped allegedly attempting to smuggle up to 3.5kg of cocaine into Australia in Peruvian handicrafts.The woman arrived at Brisbane International Airport on a flight from Santiago, Chile, via Auckland on Friday 18 April. A Customs detector dog reacted positively to the woman when she left the aircraft. An x-ray of her bags by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service also led to a referral to Customs.
During questioning Customs officers became suspicious of a series of wall hangings in the woman's bags. When x-rayed, a possible concealment in the frames of the hangings was detected.A trace particle detection test also indicated the possible presence of cocaine. The woman was referred to the Australian Federal Police, who charged her with importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug contrary to section 307.2 of the Criminal Code Act 1995.The woman appeared in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Saturday, 19 April and was remanded in custody to reappear on 30 May 2008. The maximum penalty for this offence is life imprisonment and/or a $825,000 fine. Source: Joint media release - Australian Customs and Australian Federal Police |
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