(LAWFUEL) – A 50 year old Cabramatta woman will appear in Sydney Central Local Court today after allegedly attempted to import heroin by concealing the substance in her shoes. This is the second such attempt in less than a month.
The discovery was made by Australian Customs and Border Protection officers after the woman was stopped at Sydney International Airport following a flight from Ho Chi Minh City yesterday. After conducting a search of the woman’s baggage Customs and Border Protection officers, acting on their suspicions, examined the passenger’s shoes. A subsequent x-ray examination of the shoes revealed anomalies consistent with the concealment of narcotics. The soles of the shoes were pierced and a white powder weighing approximately 900 grams was revealed. Initial testing of the substance indicated the presence of heroin.
The matter was referred to the Australian Federal Police and the woman was charged with importing a marketable quantity of a border-controlled drug contrary to section 307.2 of the Criminal Code Act 1995. Further testing of the substance will be undertaken to confirm the substance, its
weight and purity.
The maximum penalty for this offence is a fine of $550,000 and/or 25 years imprisonment.
In a separate incident a Chester Hill man faced court in Sydney on 13 January after Customs officers made a similar discovery.
