Three Canadians were charged with drug smuggling on Monday after Sydney police allegedly found 95 kg of cocaine in their cabin luggage.
The haul valued at nearly $30 million was the largest seizure in Australia of narcotics carried by passengers of a cruise ship or airliner, Australian Border Force commander Tim Fitzgerald said.
Andre Tamine, 63, Isabelle Lagace, 28, and Melina Roberce, 22, were arrested on Sunday after the Sea Princess, operated by California-based Princess Cruises, berthed in Sydney NSW.
The three did not enter pleas when they were charged in the Sydney Central Local Court with importing a commercial quantity of cocaine. They face potential life sentences if convicted.
They will remain in custody until their next court appearance on Oct. 26.
The trio had boarded the ship at Southampton. Police are investigating whether they boarded with the drugs or sourced them from one of several South American ports the ship visited on its way to Australia.
Fitzgerald thanked the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Canada Border Services Agency for helping identify the three as "high-risk passengers" among the 1,800 on board.
Fitzgerald alleged 35 kilograms of cocaine were found in suitcases in a cabin the women shared and 60 kilograms of the drug were found in the man's luggage in a separate cabin.