![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.7022566.1725287471!/httpImage/image.png_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.png)
Canadian woman charged after $12.3M of meth allegedly found in luggage
A Canadian woman was charged after an estimated C$12.3 million of meth was allegedly found in her luggage in Australia.
A Canadian woman was charged after an estimated C$12.3 million of meth was allegedly found in her luggage in Australia.
The 24-year-old woman appeared in a Brisbane court on charges of allegedly importing 14.4-kilograms of methamphetamine into Australia. The woman potentially faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, according to a media release by the Australian Federal Police and Australian Border Force on Aug. 2.
"This amount of methamphetamine could have been sold as almost 145,000 street deals with an estimated value of $13.4 million (Australian dollars)," officials said in the press release.
Border officers allegedly detected the illegal drugs after they decided to examine the woman’s baggage on July 28, according to the release. The unnamed Canadian, who had started her trip in Vancouver, arrived at Brisbane International Airport on a flight from Fiji.
The drugs were in plastic packages wrapped inside towels that had been soaked in vinegar and stuffed with coffee beans, officials said.
"Testing of the packages returned a presumptive positive result for methamphetamine," read the release.
The Australian Federal Police didn't make any further arrests related to this case and investigations are continuing.
Australian officials declined to provide further details.
"As the matter is before the courts it is not appropriate to comment," wrote an Australian Federal Police spokesperson in an email to CTVNews.ca on Monday.
Meth had been responsible for about 27 hospitalizations every day on average in Australia in 2021-22 and linked to several forms of crime, such as drug dealing, property crime and violence, Australian Federal Police Det. Acting Supt. Steve Wiggins said in the release.
“I’m pleased to say in this instance the AFP and the ABF stopped a significant amount of methamphetamine from reaching our streets,” Wiggins said in a statement. “The AFP and its Australian and international partners are relentless in pursuing those who try to bring illegal drugs into this country.”
Similarly, two other Canadians were arrested following the discovery of nearly 25 kilograms of meth concealed in suitcases bound for Sydney, Australia at the Vancouver International Airport, according to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and RCMP. The two incidents occurred on July 27 and 29.
There is no evidence so far connecting the Vancouver meth arrests to the one in Brisbane, according to authorities.
"The CBSA arrested the travellers for exporting narcotics and smuggling under the Customs Act," Sinead Fonseca, spokesperson for the Canada Border Services Agency, wrote in an email to CTVNews.ca on Thursday. "After the intercepts, the travellers were transferred to RCMP custody."
The investigations are ongoing, and the RCMP is putting forward numerous criminal charges under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, Fonseca said.
The RCMP didn't immediately respond to requests for more information from CTVNews.ca.
This story has been updated to reflect Canadian currency.
A Canadian woman was charged after an estimated C$12.3 million of meth was allegedly found in her luggage in Australia.
Car buyers have more tools than ever to get the right vehicle at the right price. Still, mistakes can happen quite easily.
New rules that ban the use of cellphones in class are taking effect at schools across Ontario this week, but critics say they're unsure how the regulations will be enforced or how effective they will be.
A bronze statue from the Titanic -- not seen in decades and feared to be lost for good -- is among the discoveries made by the company with salvage rights to the wreck site on its first expedition there in many years.
A rare general strike in Israel to protest the failure to return hostages held in Gaza led to disruptions around the country on Monday, while U.S. President Joe Biden added to the pressure by saying Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu isn't doing enough to reach a deal for a cease-fire and hostage release.
Canada's transport minister says he is determined to get to the bottom of a recent train delay that left Via Rail passengers stranded for about 10 hours in Quebec over the long weekend.
These days, it’s gotten increasingly rare to spot a payphone in any community across the country, but one expert says it's important to keep them from disappearing altogether.
A Brazilian Supreme Court panel has upheld the decision of one of its justices to block billionaire Elon Musk's social media platform X nationwide, according to the court's website.
Jim Lester’s farm hopped on the cow-cuddling trend in early August, and his time slots have been pretty well sold out ever since.
A trumpeter from Windsor is performing at the Detroit Jazz Festival this weekend — a rare honour for a musician from the Rose City.
A humpback whale calf that was struck by a BC Ferries vessel off of northern Vancouver Island last Thursday is expected to recover, a local marine research society says.
Drivers going by a Kitchener roundabout may have noticed something unusual – a tent set up on the centre island.
A family-owned B.C. wilderness resort designed and built by HGTV's Timber Kings – who said it was one of the "coolest and most challenging" projects they have undertaken – has hit the market for $21.5 million.
Alan Dougherty, co-owner of Estevan's Orpheum Theatre believes the historic theatre’s future is up in the air following recent flooding.
A First Nations community west of Calgary has officially reclaimed its traditional Stoney Nakoda name. The Stoney Nakoda Nations held an event on Thursday to officially rename Morley to Mînî Thnî.
A piece of Manitoba history is up for sale.
A man who says he was attacked by a bear on a popular Halifax-area trail says he’s lucky to be alive after the unusual and terrifying incident.
The owner of Inspire Studio in Minnedosa is dealing with a bit of a head-scratcher, as the statue outside her business has been vandalized three times, the most recent incident happening this past weekend.