SYDNEY (AP) – A 91-year-old retired surgeon has been charged with importing cocaine hidden in soap into Australia, prompting police to warn travelers to beware they are not tricked into becoming drug mules.
Victor Twartz, of Sydney, was released on bail when he appeared in Sydney’s Downing Center Local Court charged with importing a commercial quantity of cocaine last month. He did not enter a plea and will appear in court next on Oct. 6.
The retired oral surgeon faces a potential life prison sentence if he is convicted of importing 4.5 kilograms (10 pounds) of the drug into Sydney Airport on a July 8 flight from New Delhi.
A search of Twartz’s luggage found 27 packages of soap that tested positive for cocaine, police said.
Police say it appears that Twartz was scammed by a group of people he had befriended online before his trip. Australian Federal Police organized crime commander David Stewart declined to say whether Twartz had been promised anything by the group, but said he had been in contact with them over several months.