Canadian pleads guilty to smuggling Cocaine into Australia

[Aus Traveller]

I haven't read it anywhere but.... I'm thinking her guilty plea is part of a plea bargain????

I don't think Australia officially does plea bargaining, but she is likely to receive a slightly more lenient sentence by pleading guilty.:)

[Aus Traveller]

Cocaine? Almost certainly they brought it aboard the ship in Columbia and never flew anywhere with it.

That is exactly what I believe. With three people in the syndicate (yes - I know one woman says she knew nothing:D) they could each have carried 15kg back onto the ship on two trips ashore. Bags are X-rayed, but if a backpack had multiple other items in it, it could pass through.

[Aus Traveller]

Do you have a source for this?

 

What was it that made them 'high risk' passengers?

In a newspaper article in August there was mention of co-operation between Canadian Police, US Homeland Security and Australian Federal Police.

[hel0013]

The one pleaded guilty is a porn model. Hardly low profile. Flaunting their expensive trip on FB certainly brought them more attention than they realized.

 

Found this article and it looks like they were having the grandest time...

 

The article mentions what Thrak was saying about the other not having any knowledge what was in the suitcases.... A common excuse.... it's up to the prosecutor to prove it and then which side will the judge believe?

[Aus Traveller]

The one pleaded guilty is a porn model. Hardly low profile. Flaunting their expensive trip on FB certainly brought them more attention than they realized.

We were on this cruise, but only from Sydney to New York. It was originally reported that this trio boarded in the UK. I cannot recall seeing them on board, but we don't spend much time around the pool, particularly not when crossing the North Atlantic where it was a bit cool. Friends who were on board to Sydney told me that these young women were flaunting themselves around the pool in their very brief bikinis and that a lot of the men on board were 'interested spectators'. One woman remarked that these young women were the talk of the ship. Of course, no-one knew what they had in their cabin.

 

I felt sorry for Captain Arma - it was his first cruise as captain. I believe the Federal Police would have advised the ship (probably via the Port Agent) that they were coming on board prior to their arrival. They would have been advised the cabin numbers of the suspects and clearly had a plan of the ship so they headed straight there. My friends on board knew nothing of this.

[hel0013]

In a newspaper article in August there was mention of co-operation between Canadian Police, US Homeland Security and Australian Federal Police.

 

Thanks... :)

[Aus Traveller]

Australian Customs are very thorough. Confiscated my rosary beads and they had been blessed by the Pope!

Australian Quarantine will confiscate wooden items if there are signs of wood borers. I am surprised they found borers in rosary beads. Usually they give the owner the option of surrendering the item or having it fumigated - at a cost of (I think) $50. It is unfortunate they did not give you this option.

[GUT2407]

I haven't read it anywhere but.... I'm thinking her guilty plea is part of a plea bargain????

 

We don't do plea bargains (the Judge alwaysmakes that call on the facts) but there is a discount on the sentence for early guilty pleas.

[GUT2407]

Their contacts may have known the risks of having the transaction in Sydney.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

I've long suspected that they planned a drop at sea.

[Aus Traveller]

I've long suspected that they planned a drop at sea.

I think it would have been easier and safer to take the drugs ashore in Brisbane. There is no checking of bags carried by passengers going ashore for the day - only those coming onto the ship. If they dropped them at sea, it is quite likely someone would see the item dropped overboard. Then there is the difficulty of picking it up again, even if it had a locator beacon.

[GUT2407]

I think it would have been easier and safer to take the drugs ashore in Brisbane. There is no checking of bags carried by passengers going ashore for the day - only those coming onto the ship. If they dropped them at sea, it is quite likely someone would see the item dropped overboard. Then there is the difficulty of picking it up again, even if it had a locator beacon.

 

Maybe.

[myfuzzy]

I worked security for a national retailer, we live on the Canada US border, so every weekend we see an influx of visitors from the north, especially at holiday time. One weekend, we were monitoring the cameras, and saw two women, one late 50's the other 70's ish, looking suspicious. On further monitoring, we observed the younger woman put something in the older ladies bag. Watching further we observed them doing this a few more times. SOOO, as one of us was inside, the other went outside to wait for them. Upon saying hello to the ladies, they got abusive, and tried avoiding me. My team mate was behind them, and we encouraged them back in to the store into our "office". Upon confronting them with the unpaid items, the younger one says to us....YOU can't touch us, we are Canadians, come to find out, they were mother and daughter, with the daughter using the mother as a "mule" sorry, we tried controlling our laughing, and after filling out the report, used our direct line to the local confining establishment and away they went, using our complementary wrist jewelry.

 

I wonder if these ladies tried using the same line.

 

Whether you are from Canada or Timbucktoo....you do the crime....you do the time....

Edited December 19, 2016 by myfuzzy

[hel0013]

We don't do plea bargains (the Judge alwaysmakes that call on the facts) but there is a discount on the sentence for early guilty pleas.

 

And rightfully so IMO... They do them here all the time to free up court room time!

[riclop]

One of the accused plead guilty to smuggling 95 kilograms of cocaine into Australia aboard the Sea Princess

 

 

News Article

 

Original CC thread

 

Put him in jail and throw away the key.

[mrs and mrs]

The tip-off was, when they went to the self-serve laundry and mistakenly used the wrong powder for the wash.

Whilst their clothes were washing, they went top-deck to reclaim their sun-loungers and guard against lounge hogs.

Unfortunately they fell asleep.

In the meantime, the then washed clothing, managed to get out of the machine, out of the laundry, and started running amok down corridors, pressing lift buttons, running through the buffet etc,etc.

Crew members had had enough after several complaints and contacted security.

After finally apprehending all said articles of clothing, they tracked them back to particular cabins.

Hence on further investigation, it revealed, bags of washing powder, that wasn't legit.

Further reports have suggested that the clothing rampage was akin to a GHOSTBUSTERS scene.:rolleyes:;):rolleyes:

 

I'm not to sure though about this report, but it was on the internet for a short while, so must be true.

Edited December 20, 2016 by mrs and mrs
spelling.

[Bill B]

I'm not to sure though about this report, but it was on the internet for a short while, so must be true.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/national/how-to-spot-fake-news/2016/11/18/60daed34-adb2-11e6-8f19-21a1c65d2043_video.html

 

Now we just have to get get Cruise Critic to follow FB, Google & Twitter's lead.