Two Canadian women arrested over a £13million cocaine bust on a cruiseliner documented their lavish holiday on Instagram.
Melina Roberge, 22, and Isabelle Lagacé, 28, and a 63-year-old man were detained by Australian border police in Sydney on Sunday.
Cops sent sniffer dogs onto the MS Sea Princess, a massive cruise ship which carries 2,000 people on round-the-world trips from the UK to Australia.
They found 95 kilos of cocaine stashed in suitcase in a passenger cabin – one of the biggest single drug seizures in Australia’s history.
The trio have been charged with importing drugs and are due in court this week.
Social media reveals Roberge and Lagacé have been enjoying glamorous travels in the months before their arrest.
They visited visited Canada, USA, Colombia, Peru and Auckland all before arriving in Australia on Sunday.
The pair have been pictured on Roberge’s Instagram account posing for bikini selfies in idyllic locations such as Peru and Ecuador.
Posting an image of from a hike in Chile, Roberge wrote: “Traveling is one thing … But traveling with an open mind, ready to taste everything, see everything, learn everything and get yourself out of your comfort zone .. Is probably the best therapy and lesson ever.”
In other images the pair sipped from coconuts on the beach, shopped at local markets and tried quad biking.
Tickets for the MS Sea Princess cruise cost around £8,500.
The trio now face life imprisonment if convicted of drug smuggling in Australia, where cocaine prices are among the highest in the world.
Clive Murray from the Australian Border Forces said the bust came after work alongside US and Canadian authorities.
He added: “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.”
AFP Assistant Commissioner Crime Operations Shane Connelly said: “Today’s successful operation has resulted in three arrests and we will not rule out further activity as we continue our investigations.
“The AFP is committed to working with its partner agencies to protect the community by stopping these dangerous drugs making their way to Australian communities, and bringing those responsible to justice.”
