An Irish man has been charged with attempting to smuggle cocaine into Australia hidden inside Kinder Surprise Eggs which he had “concealed internally”.
The 28-year-old was stopped by Australian border police at Melbourne International Airport after arriving on a flight from the Middle East. A swab of his baggage indicated the presence of cocaine, leading officers to bring him to hospital for a CT scan.
According to the Australian Federal Police ,“he later excreted six yellow plastic capsules that allegedly contained a total of about 120 grammes of cocaine”.
He has since been charged with importing cocaine, an offence which carries up to 25 years in prison.
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The Irish man, who has not been named by Australian authorities, appeared in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on December 30th, 2022 and was remanded in custody until late March.
Kinder Surprise Eggs comprise a chocolate shell with a toy inside. They come in hard plastic capsules which have become increasingly popular for smuggling drugs internally through customs or into prisons.
Irish courts have convicted multiple offenders with using the capsules to smuggle drugs into this country.
Australian Federal Police superintendent Chris Salmon said the Irish man’s arrest last week “highlighted the extreme lengths” some people went to in order to allegedly evade detection at the border.
“Smuggling drugs internally is idiotic – there is the real risk that something could go wrong, resulting in a potentially fatal drug overdose or permanent damage to internal organs,” Salmon said.
Superintendent Ian Beasant warned that Australian border police “are highly trained in detection and will ensure that you are stopped at the border”.
