Drug Cops Jail Tourist Over Tea In Luggage
9:28am UK, Friday March 19, 2010
Ian Woods, Australia correspondent
A tourist in Australia who spent six days in jail on drugs charges has been released after police admitted she had nothing more than lemon-flavoured iced tea in her possession.
https://teakdoor.com/images/smilies1/You_Rock_Emoticon.gif Maria Silva had three packets of Nestea iced tea weighing around 2kg
Twenty-nine-year-old Maria Silva was detained after flying to Melbourne from the Philippines last Saturday
A drug detection dog alerted Customs and Border Protection officers to the presence of drugs in her luggage, and initial tests indicated a positive result for amphetamines.
She had three packets of Nestea iced tea weighing around 2kg.
If convicted of importing a commercial quantity of the drug, she faced a maximum sentence of 25 years in jail.
Ms Silva, a wedding planner, broke down in tears when she was remanded in custody.
She maintained her innocence, and on Thursday, while her solicitor prepared to make an application for bail, the police admitted they had made a mistake, after further tests on the iced tea had confirmed Ms Silva's story.
The Melbourne Age reported that her barrister, Michael Pena-Rees, told the court she had bought the tea randomly before departure at her boyfriend's request.
Prosecutor Megan Lawler-Cooper said that after the three positive tests, and given some ''unusual'' aspects of her travel arrangements, there had been a proper basis for charging her.
The magistrate said the police had acted appropriately but awarded $5,000 (£3,000) costs against them.
A police spokesman said the incident was "regrettable", but said they had dropped the charges as soon as tests revealed the mistake.