French Woman Charged Over Drug Smuggling From Thailand
A French woman was arrested at Perth Airport after Australian Border Force officers discovered 50 grams of a banned chemical hidden in a body wash bottle she brought from Thailand; she faces up to 25 years in prison.
Australian authorities have intensified border security following charges against a French woman accused of importing a controlled drug hidden inside a body wash bottle after arriving from Thailand.
The case emerges days after the Australian Federal Police (AFP) announced the arrest of a 26-year-old Thai Airways flight attendant who allegedly attempted to smuggle approximately one kilogram of heroin concealed in a cloth bag into Australia through Melbourne Airport on Thursday. Another drug-related arrest had been made just days prior when a 31-year-old French woman travelling from Thailand was detained on smuggling allegations.
According to an AFP statement released Friday, the French suspect appeared before Perth Magistrates Court facing charges related to allegedly importing a border-controlled drug into Australia.
The statement revealed that the French woman, residing in Manning, was arrested by Australian Border Force (ABF) officers upon arriving at Perth Airport from Thailand on Monday. During baggage screening, ABF officers discovered a suspicious liquid inside a container labelled as body wash.
Testing confirmed the liquid as 50 grams of 1,4-butanediol (BDO), a substance classified as a border-controlled drug under Australian law.
ABF officers also examined the woman's mobile phone, finding images suggesting she may have concealed additional prohibited substances internally. She was referred to the AFP for further investigation and subsequently excreted 40 steroid tablets, which authorities seized for forensic examination.
Authorities have not disclosed the specific steroid type or announced additional charges relating to the tablets.
She faces one count of importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug under Section 307.2 of the Commonwealth Criminal Code, carrying a maximum penalty of 25 years' imprisonment.
AFP Detective Acting Superintendent Peter Brindal stated authorities remain vigilant against those attempting to smuggle illicit substances through Australia's airports.
ABF Superintendent John Eldridge noted that 1,4-butanediol is an extremely dangerous chemical solvent. Upon entering the body, it converts to gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), a powerful central nervous system depressant capable of being fatal in doses of just a few milligrams. Due to its extreme danger, 1,4-butanediol has been subject to Australian border controls since 2024, with trafficking offences treated as seriously as those involving methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine.
