Australian Customs mistakes iced tea for drugs

[Frazz]

A 29-year-old tourist from the Philippines has spent five days in custody after Australian Customs officials mistook iced tea for drugs.

 

Tourist, Maria Silva bought three 800 gram bags of Nestle iced tea on her way to the airport in Manila before her flight to Melbourne.

 

On arrival at Melbourne Airport she was detected by sniffer dogs and arrested by Customs.

 

Customs' initial tests showed the packets contained 2.44 kilograms of methamphetamines.

 

Customs later revised its results to amphetamines and Ms Silva was charged with importing a commercial quantity of drugs into Australia.

 

It was only after she spent five days in custody, unable to contact family or friends, that further tests by a Federal Police forensic team revealed the supposed drugs were in fact powdered lemon-flavoured iced tea.

 

The Melbourne Magistrates Court heard the powdered formula contains an ingredient that is often mistaken for drugs.

 

The Magistrate awarded Ms Silva $5,000 in costs for what he described as "an unfortunate set of circumstances."

 

Ms Silva burst into tears as she was released from custody today.

 

Outside court, her lawyer, Michael Pena-Rees said Ms Silva had bought the iced tea, which is cheaper in the Philippines, for her friend as a treat.

 

Mr Pena-Rees says Customs is yet to apologise for its mistake.

 

Author: Sarah Farnsworth

Date: 18/3/10

Source: ABC NEWS Online http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/03...?section=justin

Copyright: 2010 ABC

[Innocent criminal]

Now why doesnt this surprise me?

"guilty until proven innocent" is the current standard for our law enforcement, a sad state of affairs indeed.

IMO it isn't going to change anytime soon either, as each successive government whittles away a little more at our civil liberties and at the same time decreases accountability for public servants.

[brick]

Fucking Gestapo. This world aint getting any better.

[Crunchy]

Now why doesnt this surprise me?

"guilty until proven innocent" is the current standard for our law enforcement, a sad state of affairs indeed.

IMO it isn't going to change anytime soon either, as each successive government whittles away a little more at our civil liberties and at the same time decreases accountability for public servants.

Deep Truth there THC

[themanwhoinventedmeh]

My question is, what is in Ice tea that is so easily mistaken for a Class A drug? Oh right... one of the most highly addictive substances in the world- sugar.

[DarkSpark]

heh funny how a perosn carrying iced tea powder spends a week in lockup while terrorists are flying in and out of countries performing assassinations under false identification and so on. I could just imagine the poor person trying to explain what it was and the customs guy going "yeah sure i have heard that excuse a million times before"

 

having a big old glassfull would have showed them

[pisspotgrower]

Wouldnt ya love to see this fuck up on boarder security...something tells me they might cut this one out tho hehheh

[Budman2012]

Heheh , thanx for posting this ... I know it was a few weeks back

funny that PPG mentioned that coz I coulda sworn I first saw that on 'Border Security' or 'The Farce'

Haven't heard much about it aye ... It got a very small play in the national Newspapers and even on the web it's like we all just have to cop it and think it the normal ...

This mistake as highlighted by SOME media at least ... Is a major issue when it comes to arguing for 'Human RIghts' ...

 

How would you feel if you were the one abducted by the authorities for that? ... not too fucking happy I'm guessing

 

So , I think it goes to show that ALL of their testing equipment is also Faulty and maybe never has worked at all , I see massive law suits and peoples dancing on on the deciders graves.

You can hack it aye ... We know the atrocities commited by the supposed 'Law Enforcement' and they have harmed more than they've helped by a long shot ... Protect and serve the interests of the wealthy and make a media spectacle when they can to justify their existance ... some people all the time not.

 

If their tests can be THAT wrong then EVERYONE who has ever been convicted of 'smuggling' 'drugs' must be given the chance to appeal on the grounds that testing equipment was faulty and it was just powdered Ginseng after all

 

Cheerz and I bet the Dogz are just as innacurate also (check the stats of 1%)

 

Budman