The cruise liner departed from England in July, sailing to Canada, the USA, Peru, and New Zealand before arriving in Australia.
In Sydney, passengers were prevented from leaving the vessel on Sunday while border agents with sniffer dogs searched the ship’s 2,000 berths.
The haul from the three Canadians’ cabins was the single largest seizure in Australia of drugs carried by passengers of a cruise ship or airliner, Australian Border Force (ABF) commander Tim Fitzgerald said in a statement.
The ABF said it had co-operated with several other border agencies to target the ship, which they had marked as high-risk.
The three suspects appeared before Sydney Central Local court, charged with importing a commercial quantity of cocaine. They are yet to enter a plea but could all face life imprisonment if convicted under Australian smuggling laws.
ABF Assistant Commissioner Clive Murray said the seizure was yet another example of international cooperation leading to significant results in the fight against international drug syndicates.
“These syndicates should be on notice that the Australian Border Force is aware of all of the different ways they attempt to smuggle drugs into our country and we are working with a range of international agencies to stop them,” he said.
He added that Australian Federal Police investigations remained ongoing and that further arrests have not been ruled out.
Sourced from agencies, Feature image courtesy: i2.mirror.co.uk
