Australian authorities say two women from Canada have been charged with smuggling cocaine on a Princess Cruises ship.
The Associated Press reported that Andre Tamine, a 63-year-old man, and two women, Isabelle Lagace, 28, and Melina Roberge, 22, were arrested Sunday when the Princess Cruises vessel docked in Sydney.
Australian Border Force commander Tim Fitzgerald said about $22 million worth of cocaine -- nearly $30 million in Australian dollars -- was hidden in their bags. A search of two cabins uncovered suitcases with 95 kilograms of cocaine.
According to Fitzgerald, it is the largest drug bust of its kind on a cruise ship.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the two women, Lagace and Roberge, appeared in court Monday and were charged with importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug.
They did not enter pleas and did not apply for bail.
The Herald reported that the charge has a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
BuzzFeed News reported that Lagace and Roberge documented much of their 68-day cruise in Instagram posts in which they visited Times Square in New York, rode ATVs in Peru and got tattoos in Tahiti. Both Lagace and Roberge's pages are public.
Tamine, Lagace and Roberge are scheduled to appear in court again Oct. 26. They will remain in custody until then.
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