National Post (National Edition)
Quebec coke smuggler jailed eight-plus years
A Quebecer who pleaded guilty in Australia to smuggling cocaine aboard a luxury cruise ship has been sentenced to more than eight years in prison.
André Tamine, 65, was sentenced Tuesday by Judge Kate Traill in New South Wales District Court. Felicita Benedikovics, a spokeswoman for the court, confirmed the sentence of eight years and five months to The Canadian Press.
Tamine was one of three Quebecers convicted in a crime made famous by the online exploits of his two co-accused. Isabelle Lagacé and Melina Roberge widely shared photographs of their travels on Instagram before their arrests when the MS Sea Princess docked in Sydney in August 2016.
Earlier reports said Australian authorities using sniffer dogs found more than 90 kilograms of cocaine worth an estimated $30.5 million in the trio’s suitcases.
Tamine pleaded guilty last February to importing a controlled substance (cocaine) in commercial quantities. Under Australian law, the crime could have resulted in a life sentence.
His sentence will run until January 2025, but he will be eligible to request parole in March 2022. Lagacé was sentenced to 71/2 years in November 2017, while Roberge was sentenced to eight years last April.
Roberge told the court she initially refused to take part when her unnamed “sugar daddy” asked her to carry drugs on the cruise. But she later agreed when told she could enjoy a free vacation while helping the group.
In a letter to the court, Roberge wrote she had been motivated by a desire to “take photos of myself in exotic locations for ‘likes’ and attention.” Lagacé told the court she took part to settle a debt in Canada.