"My brother is innocent" Swiss man smuggles cocaine to Australia - now the family is speaking out
A 21-year-old Swiss man was arrested in Melbourne on Friday. He had 25 kilograms of cocaine in his luggage. Now his mother and brother are speaking out.
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- A Swiss man has to appear in court in Australia.
- The reason: 25 kilograms of cocaine were found in his luggage at Melbourne Airport.
- Now his family is speaking out for the first time. His mother believes he was framed.
On Friday, a 21-year-old man from Geneva was arrested in Australia. He had 25 kilograms of cocaine worth the equivalent of 4.5 million francs in his luggage. According to the authorities, his suitcase caught the attention of officers during a routine check. According to the Australian Federal Police (AFP), the quantity would have been enough for 125,000 street deals.
The man from Geneva was brought before the local court in Melbourne on Saturday. There he has to face several hearings. One of these is scheduled for March 31. The verdict will then be announced.
The Swiss national with Tunisian roots is already behind bars in Melbourne. He could be sentenced to life imprisonment. He was brought before Melbourne Local Court on Saturday. There he has to face several hearings. One of these is scheduled for March 31. The verdict will then be announced.
"He had a clean criminal record"
His older brother toldBlick: "My brother is innocent - until proven otherwise." He had never been in trouble with the law before. "He had a clean criminal record, a good education and a promising future," the brother complains. His mother also says that he is an unremarkable young man.
A friend paid for the 21-year-old's trip, the mother tells the newspaper. She believes that he was tricked with a suitcase that did not belong to him.
In the days before his arrest, the young man had sent his mother videos in which he told her that he had been in Las Vegas. He then traveled back from Los Angeles before flying to Australia on January 3. He was due to return to Switzerland on January 10.