Guilty pleas end the case of ‘cocaine cowgirls’

cabins, including two cabins rooming the three Canadians.

About 35 kilos of cocaine were found in a suitcase under a bed in the women’s cabin and about 60 kilos in the cabin of Tamine, police said.

Police announced the seizure with some fanfare.

It was the largest drug cache found onboard a passenger ship in Australia.

Police called the drug scheme the work of an international drug syndicate and said the seizure and arrests were a joint operation between Australian authorities and the Canada Border Services Agency, along with U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations and New Zealand Customs Service.

“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,” assistant commissioner Clive Murray said at the time.

The investigation was continuing and more arrests could be coming, police said.

Lagace, a former porn model, admitted her role early on. She told court she agreed to the smuggling trip to repay a $20,000 debt to someone in Canada, local media reported.

She was sentenced in November to seven and a half years in prison. She must serve at least four and a half years before being eligible to apply for parole.

A prosecutor called the cruise ship “a floating warehouse” for drugs with the three Canadians minders for the hidden cargo while en route. All three of the cruise tickets for the Canadians were booked through the same travel agency, court heard.

On Friday, Roberge entered her new plea of guilty, which was accepted by the judge, according to court documents. She is scheduled for a sentencing hearing on March 21.

Tamine changed his plea a week earlier, which was also accepted by the judge, according to court documents. He is scheduled for a sentencing on Oct. 26.

A former cellmate of Roberge at the Silverwater Women’s Correctional Centre in Australia told the National Post the woman in real life was not like the image seen in the media.

She said Roberge was down to earth and friendly and “just like everyone else here,” despite her media fame. Mélina Roberge, left, and Isabelle Lagace drew widespread attention for the photos posted online before their arrest in Australia on drug charges.