Cruise Ship Passenger Charged for Alleged Attempt to Smuggle Cocaine into Australia

A Brazilian national has been charged over a failed plan to import about 10kg of cocaine into Australia on a cruise ship from Argentina.

The man, 48, is expected to appear before Downing Centre Local Court today (March 17, 2025), charged with importing and possessing border controlled drugs.

Australian Border Force (ABF) officers allegedly found 28 individually wrapped packages of cocaine hidden in the ceiling cavity of the man's cabin when they searched a cruise ship on Saturday (15 March, 2025) after it docked at Sydney Harbour.

They also uncovered body packing material in the ceiling cavity and in the wardrobe, which is used by drug couriers to try to carry drugs across borders or other security checkpoints without detection.

The ABF alerted the AFP after initial testing of the substance in the packages returned a positive result for cocaine.

When the AFP reviewed the man's mobile phone they allegedly found evidence relating to the drug trafficking.

The AFP established the packages contained about 10kg of cocaine and charged the man with:

• One count of importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug, contrary to section 307.1(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth); and
• One count of possessing a commercial quantity of an unlawfully imported border controlled drug, contrary to section 307.5 of the Criminal Code (Cth).

Both offences carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.