Man loses $50k to the state

A MAN found with nearly $50,000 in a vacuum-sealed bag aboard a plane at Brisbane Airport will lose the cash to the state government.

Arlie Lee Fowler (inset), 32, was met by Australian Federal Police officers when his Virgin Australia flight from Cairns landed in Brisbane on June 9 last year. He was arrested on another matter and taken to Hendra police station where a search of his bag uncovered a cryovac bag wrapped in black tape containing $49,065.

He pleaded guilty in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Friday to one count of possessing tainted property.

Police prosecutor Senior Sergeant Carrie Davidson tendered Fowler’s criminal history, which included a twoyear prison sentence handed down in Cairns Supreme Court in January 2020 for drug possession. He was on parole when found with the cash, the court heard. Magistrate Michael Quinn sentenced Fowler to nine months’ prison, suspended for 18 months, and ordered the money be forfeited.