Melina Roberge
Melina Roberge
Drug Smuggling Allegations
On August 28, 2016, Melina Roberge, Isabelle Lagacé, and Andre Tamine were caught trying to smuggle 95 kilograms of cocaine valued at $30 million CAD ($23 Million USD) into Australia.
To get the drugs to Australia, Isabelle and Melina took a Sea Princess cruise, which started in England and visited Canada, United States, Colômbia, Peru and Auckland, New Zealand before arriving in Australia.
The friends posted many photos from the trip on Instagram.
During the trip they posted photos riding ATVs, visiting Times Square, and chilling on the beach among other activities.
The bust was Australia's largest ever narcotics seizure through passenger transportation.
Charges
Melina Roberge, Isabelle Lagacé, and Andre Tamine were each charged with one count of import commercial quantity of border controlled drug. The penalty for smuggling a commercial quantity of cocaine includes life imprisonment and the trio will remain in custody until their next court appearance on October 26, 2016.
Guilty Plea
Melina Roberge pleaded guilty to to importing cocaine in commercial quantities in a Sydney court on Friday, according to a spokesperson for the New South Wales District Court, and is due back in court for sentencing on March 23, 2018.
Tamine also pleaded guilty a week ago and will be sentenced on October 26, 2018.
Lagace was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison in November, 2017.
Life in Prison
Melina Roberge was sent to the The Silverwater Correctional Complex, an Australian maximum and minimum security prison complex for males and females, is located in Silverwater, 21 km (13 mi) west of the Sydney central business district in New South Wales, Australia.
She was later sent to another women correctional center with minimum security where she can call her family often and she should be out in 2021!