Swiss Man Jailed In Australia For Cocaine Trafficking

2025-10-24 02:08:34

Alternative Headline:

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) A 22-year-old Swiss man was sentenced on Friday to eight years and eight months in prison for drug trafficking in Australia. This content was published on October 24, 2025 - 09:41 5 minutes Keystone-SDA

Français fr Un Genevois condamné en Australie pour trafic de drogue Original Read more: Un Genevois condamné en Australie pour trafic de d

+Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox

The Geneva-born man was facing a life sentence for travelling from Los Angeles to Melbourne in early January with a suitcase full of cocaine. He has been in custody ever since. According to the indictment, which Keystone-ATS was able to consult, he had no previous criminal record.

The Australian Federal Police had charged him with importing and possessing a commercial quantity of cocaine. The 21 kilograms of white powder found in his suitcase contained nearly 15 kg of pure cocaine, the equivalent of 125,000 doses, with an estimated value of CHF4.5 million ($5.6 million).

The County Court of Victoria sentenced the Swiss man to eight years and eight months' imprisonment, with a minimum non-parole period of four years and 10 months.
'A moment of thoughtlessness'
In addition to the large quantity of drugs, the judge also took into account factors such as the defendant's age.

“You have your whole life ahead of you,” the magistrate told the man in a video broadcast by the court. The court believes that the chances of the guilty party being rehabilitated are very high. The fact that he admitted his guilt is seen as a sign of remorse. This helped to reduce the length of the prison sentence, the judge explained.

In a letter to the court, the Swiss man spoke of a“moment of thoughtlessness” and apologised for his behaviour, the judge said. The judge said he believed the Swiss man when he said he had never meant to harm anyone.
Contradictory statements
As to whether the defendant knew what he was carrying, the statements in the indictment were contradictory. First, the 21-year-old told customs officers that he had packed his own luggage and knew what was inside. He explained that the excessive weight of the suitcase was due to the many items of clothing he had bought in Las Vegas.

+ Switzerland, an unsuspected hub for international cocaine trafficking

Shortly afterwards, however, he told customs officials that the suitcase did not belong to him. An unknown person had given him the luggage in Los Angeles. According to him, he did not know what was in the suitcase, nor did he know who he was supposed to hand it over to on arrival.
'The less I know, the better'
He claimed that the less he knew, the better, according to an extract from an interview with the Australian police quoted in the indictment. He assumed that the suitcase might contain counterfeit watches. When he discovered the black packages in Australia, he became frightened.

According to his statements to the police, he was assured that he was in no danger. He thought he would have to carry the case in exchange for the flight and some money. He told customs officers that he had been contacted while still in Switzerland by a man offering him $4,000 for flights and accommodation. According to the judge, it was not clear what benefit the Swiss man could have derived from this operation.
A small role in an international network
The Swiss man's role was that of a simple courier, a relatively minor role within an international drug trafficking network. Nevertheless, the judge stressed, this type of network can only function if certain people agree to act as mules.
More More Demographics Drug-busting with customs officers at Zurich airport
This content was published on Apr 12, 2024 Gino the sniffer dog helps in the search for cocaine smuggled into Switzerland via Zurich airport.
Read more: Drug-busting with customs officers at Zurich ai
The quantity of cocaine transported, far in excess of the so-called 'commercial' quantity, makes this case a striking example of a very serious crime, he added. In this case, the court also took into account the deterrent effect on society. The court's message to anyone considering bringing drugs into Australia is clear:“It's not worth it.”

The Swiss man had been in custody for almost eleven months awaiting trial. This period will be deducted from his sentence, the judge said. At the end of his four years and ten months in prison, it will be up to another judge to decide whether he will be released on parole or whether the conditions of probation will be modified.

Translated from French by DeepL/sb

MENAFN24102025000210011054ID1110244173

Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.