Elderly man charged with alleged heroin import into Melbourne Airport

A UK man has been charged for allegedly trying to import 2kg of heroin into Melbourne Airport.

The 83-year-old man allegedly concealed the heroin inside a black duffle carry-on bag, which was discovered after an X-ray of the luggage at Melbourne Airport.

He had arrived from Doha, Qatar on Tuesday. 

Australian border force officers found a white substance in the bag, with further testing allegedly returning a positive result for heroin.

The case was then referred to the Australian Federal Police and the man was arrested at the International Arrivals Baggage Examination area on Wednesday.

He has been charged with one count of possessing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug and importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug. 

He appeared in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday, and will reappear on October 3.

Australian Border Force Superintendent Kelly-Anne Parish said that their officers remain committed to stopping the flow of drugs at the border.

“ABF officers at Melbourne International Airport are highly skilled to observe passenger behaviours, relying not purely on intelligence, but intuition and instinct to identify potential threats,” Parish said.

“Criminals will try to hide illicit substances in a variety of ways, and our officers have many sophisticated detection methods at their disposal.

“This detection of illicit drugs should serve as a warning to all travellers, regardless of age, who wish to run the gauntlet and attempt to bypass our border controls – we will stop you in your tracks and you will be placed before the courts.”