Australia: Pair Jailed for Drugs Netting $47 Million

Published: 28 June 2013

By

A Vietnamese man and a woman who refused to disclose any information about the $47 million worth of  heroin and methamphetamine they were found with have each been sentenced to 18 years in jail, the Australian daily The Courier reported.

Thi Tran, 45, and Manh Dao, were arrested two years ago after a routine police patrol in the park of a Melbourne suburb.

The couple was thought to be acting suspiciously when police saw them walking away from a black BMW as soon as they saw them. Police had just finished a separate investigation into drug trafficking, when the search of the vehicle uncovered 25.2 kilos of high-purity heroin and 6.6 kilos of methamphetamine plus $160,000 in cash.

Police estimated the drugs to be valued at more than $47 million on the street.

The couple first fought the charges, then pleaded guilty to one charge of trafficking a large quantity of drugs. They refused to give any information regarding where or from whom they got the drugs.

The pair will spend at least 13 years in prison.