Canadian arrested in Australia after cocaine allegedly found in luggage

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A Canadian was arrested at an airport in Australia, Thursday, after 11 kilos of cocaine were allegedly found in his luggage after arriving on a flight into Sydney.

The 38-year-old man’s luggage was selected for examination after disembarking a flight from the United States. An X-ray revealed anomalies in the bag. An image of the X-ray shows several brick-like shapes consistent with how bulk cocaine is typically transported.

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Australian Border Force (ABF) officers then pulled out 10 vacuum sealed packages weighing about one-kilo each. Inside the black packaging was pressed white powder, the agency said.

A field test returned a positive result for cocaine with an estimated combined weight of 11.6 kilos, according to the ABF.

The man, unidentified by authorities, as is their usual practice, was charged by Australian Federal Police (AFP) with importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug. The offence carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

His next court appearance is scheduled for February.

“This was a brazen attempt to smuggle a substantial quantity of cocaine into Australia, which could have resulted in untold damage had it reached our community,” said AFP Det-Acting Supt. Dom Stephenson.

“Despite the significant resources dedicated by the AFP and our partners at Australian airports, people still attempt to bring illicit drugs into Australia. For those who arrive in our country with drugs in their possession, they should expect to be detected and face the full consequences of the law.”

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The ABF suggested that the passenger was induced, tricked or paid to make the delivery and now faces substantial problems.

“Criminal syndicates will attempt to exploit and manipulate vulnerable travellers in order to bypass border attention,” said ABF Supt. Elke West.

“As our passenger numbers continue to surge heading into the festive season, our routine targeting and interceptions do not stop… Our message is that we see you, and we will work to stamp out the scourge of illicit drugs coming into our country.”

The alleged smuggling attempt is remarkably reminiscent to a high-profile smuggling ring that sent Canadian drug mules to Australia with cocaine hidden in their luggage in 2015, also during December, when holiday travel is heavy.

A former Vice Media editor based in Toronto who recruited interns, models, and musicians as drug mules to smuggle cocaine from the United States into Australia. Four Canadians and an American were caught at Sydney airport with almost 40 kilos of cocaine hidden in their luggage. The recruiting ring was revealed by a National Post investigation.

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The mules all served prison time in Australia. The recruiter, Yaroslav Pastukhov, known under the pen name Slava Pastuk, was sent to prison in Canada.

Since then, there have been many large-scale drug smuggling attempts into Australia from Canada and by Canadians.

A Canadian man, also 38 years old, was allegedly caught at Sydney airport in October trying to smuggle methamphetamine in his bags.

The biggest Canadian connection is the allegations against Tse Chi Lop, a Canadian accused of running a vast meth empire worth billions of dollars. He is accused of being one of world’s biggest drug kingpins and dubbed “Asia’s El Chapo,” referring to the founder of Mexico’s powerful Sinaloa Cartel. The former Toronto man is facing trial in Australia.

In November, a Canadian man was sentenced in Australia to 18 and a half years in prison for trying to smuggle $15 million worth of meth. In the summer of 2023, nearly $50 million worth of meth was found inside a hidden compartment in a cheap wood cabinet sent from Canada to Sydney.

That May, a Canadian was also sentenced to 11 years in prison in Australia for quantities of meth found in commercial dough mixers shipped from Toronto to both Melbourne and Sydney.

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The previous year, Australian authorities announced the country’s largest known fentanyl shipment arrived from Canada hidden in an industrial lathe shipped from Vancouver. Large loads of cocaine and meth, worth an estimated $135 million, were also found hidden inside a vintage Bentley luxury sedan sent in a shipping container from Canada to Sydney.

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