Canadian Woman Caught Smuggling Cocaine into Australia Sentenced to 8 Years in Prison

A 24-year-old woman from Quebec was sentenced to eight years in Australian prison on Wednesday.  She was one of three Canadians caught smuggling 95 kilograms of cocaine while on a cruise vacation in Australia.

Mélina Roberge and her companions were caught by Australian border security smuggling cocaine during a seven-week cruise that travelled through ten countries including the US, Bermuda, Panama, Chile, and Australia in 2016.

Roberge has been sentenced to eight years in prison with her earliest release date coming in four years and nine months.  The maximum potential sentence would have been life served in jail, but she has shown remorse for her actions.

“She was seduced by lifestyle and the opportunity to post glamorous Instagram photos from around the world,” said Judge Kate Traill in a New South Wales District Court. “She wanted to be the envy of others. I doubt she is now.”

All three Canadians involved have each plead guilty, 30-year-old Isabella Lagacé was sentenced last November to 7.5 years in prison.  The young females “sugar daddy” 65-year-old André Tamine is still awaiting sentencing.