The man was stopped at Sydney airport on his arrival from New Delhi on July 8th when customs officers became suspicious of the contents of his luggage, officials said.
They found 27 packages of soap which tested positive for cocaine. The man was charged with importing illegal drugs.
“Claiming ignorance of drugs hidden inside your luggage does not automatically mean you will not face criminal charges,” acting Assistant Police Commissioner, Wayne Buchhorn, said.
The smuggler, identified as Victor Twartz, an oral surgeon, has been charged to court.
“It was soap — I opened it up and scratched it and it certainly was soap but it had some white streaks in it, which I am told was cocaine,” Victor Twartz told 7.30 after appearing in court this morning.
The old man, was suspected to have fallen victim of West African scammers, who lured him to New Delhi, on the promise of unlocking a $10million inheritance for him.
“They … took me to the airport and gave it to me at the last minute,” Twartz said.
Victor’s son, Peter Twartz, said his father was caught up in a scam.
“He was going over there to sign a business contract that would release some funding to him and that is why he was going,” he told 7.30.
“There was some $10 million of inheritance that would be freed up and released to him.
“The soap were gifts for the bank manager at this end that would be clearing the funds.”
Peter said his father is a devout Seventh Day Adventist with no criminal background.
“His background is as a dentist, he is significantly religious,” he said.
“There is no way that he would knowingly [have] anything to do with drugs — he sees it as a scourge.”
No comments:
Post a Comment