91-year-old Sydney man charged with importing cocaine

“Presumptive testing of the soap showed positive readings for cocaine”, police and the Australian Border Force reported, adding that the total amount of cocaine exceeded 4.5 kilograms (10 pounds).

The man, Victor Twartz, was stopped at Sydney airport on his arrival from New Delhi on Wednesday, July 8, when customs officers became suspicious of the contents of his luggage.

The cocaine was discovered packed inside the soap packets in the suitcase He did not say whether Twartz had been promised anything by the group, but admitted that the force had been tipped off about the retired surgeon’s email exchanges with the group by his family.

AFP Acting National Manager Aviation Wayne Buchhorn said travellers should be aware that if they knowingly, or unwittingly, bring drugs back into the country they may be charged.

Twartz told Australian Broadcasting Corporation he had met people in New Delhi whom he had befriended online.

In 2012, Francis Cook was labelled Britain’s oldest drug dealer after he was convicted at age 83 for growing nearly 200 cannabis plants.

“Luggage is a personal responsibility”, said an Australian Federal Police commander, Tim Fitzgerald, in a statement.

“I know he’s been taken advantage of before, financially”.

“I used to work with him part-time in the 70s”. “He’s innocent, he’s pretty advanced in years; he could have just done something stupid”, the elder said.

The 91-year-old has been charged with importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug and is due to face Sydney Central Local Court on Tuesday.

“

Claiming ignorance of drugs hidden inside your luggage does not automatically mean you will not face criminal charges”,

he said.

He did not enter a plea and his bail was continued. The case has caused police to issue a warning to travellers not to be tricked into becoming drug mules.