Airline employee allegedly caught attempting to smuggle heroin into Melbourne airport

An international airline employee has been arrested and charged after allegedly attempting to smuggle heroin into Melbourne. The woman, a Thai national, was working on an international flight that arrived at Melbourne Airport on Thursday last week. However, when the 26-year-old’s baggage was screened by Australian Border Force (ABF) officers a short time later, some “anomalies” were found. An X-ray examination was done on the 12 tote bags in the woman’s luggage, with further examinations revealing about 1kg of white powder concealed within the lining of the bags. Testing allegedly returned a positive reading for heroin with an estimated street value of $500,000. Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers were called in and seized the tote bags. The woman was arrested and later charged with two offences for importing and possessing the drugs. The offences carry a maximum penalty of 25 years’ imprisonment each. AFP said it is not the first time criminal syndicates have targeted “trusted insiders”, including airline crew, to attempt to smuggle illicit substances into Australia. “Anyone attempting to import illicit drugs into Australia, regardless of rank or position, will be targeted and face the full force of the law,” ABF Commander Clint Sims said. “ABF officers use intelligence-led targeting and a range of detection capabilities to identify those individuals who attempt to breach our border controls. “The ABF remains alert to the threat of trusted insiders and will continue to identify and disrupt this activity to maintain the integrity of our border and protect the Australian community.” The woman was remanded in custody and is expected to appear before Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on September 14.