Elderly couple scammed into becoming drug mules

For the elderly Australian couple, it seemed to be the holiday of a lifetime.

They not only won an all expenses paid trip to Canada, they were also given new suitcases as part of the prize.

But when they returned home to Perth, they were shocked to know they had unwittingly become drug mules.

The two suitcases contained a total of 7kg of methamphetamine (ice) in rock form.

The drugs have a street value of about A$7 million (S$8.3 million), the Mail Online reported.

The man is 72 and his wife, 64.

Police in Australia said the elaborate scam was being operated by a bogus Canadian-based travel company whose website targeted elderly Australian couples.

After their week-long holiday, they became concerned about their new bags and reported their worries to Customs officials.

The bags were opened - and it was then that 3.5kg of the drugs were found in each suitcase.

The woman, who wanted to be known only as Sue, told the Perthnow.com.au news website that they were looking online for a holiday and after entering an online competition, she was informed that they were the "lucky winners".

"Be very careful if you win anything,'' she was quoted as saying. "I could have ended up in jail for 25 years, and they could have ruined my life."

Police said the find had resulted in a 38-year-old Canadian man being arrested at the Perth airport.

His arrest led to a raid on a hotel room in the Perth seaside suburb of Scarborough, where officers found documents relating to the scam, along with more bags similar to the ones that had been seized.

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