(LAWFUEL) – A 63-year-old Portuguese man will appear in Melbourne Magistrates Court this morning (27 August), charged with importing approximately one kilogram of cocaine concealed in his luggage.
Customs officers at Melbourne International Airport stopped the man and searched his baggage after he arrived on a flight from Dubai yesterday.
An x-ray of the man’s suitcase revealed an image consistent with a possible drug concealment. Further investigation allegedly found a quantity of white powder concealed in a false bottom of the suitcase.
Preliminary testing of the powder indicated the substance to be cocaine.
The man was referred to the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and charged with importing a marketable quantity of a border-controlled drug (cocaine) contrary to section 307.2 of the Criminal Code Act (1995).
Further forensic testing will confirm the drug, its exact weight and purity.
The maximum penalty for this offence is 25 years imprisonment and/or a $550,000 fine.
