The Canadian social media influencer charged in connection with an Australian-record cocaine bust was brought into the scheme by her “sugar daddy”, a NSW court has heard.
But Melina Roberge refused to name her alleged sugar daddy, stating that he was “known to authorities” and that revealing his name could jeopardise the safety of her friends and family in Canada.
The 24-year-old plead guilty to importing cocaine last month, after an absolutely astonishing 95kg of the stuff was located on a luxury cruise ship in 2016.
The haul was intercepted when the Sea Princess ship docked in Sydney. Authorities located the illicit drug stored under the beds of travellers, and the prosecution alleges that Roberge personally harboured plenty of it in her cabin.
Roberge today stated she was tapped to be part of the smuggling operation as a decoy, saying “I was meant to just be there and look like I was on holiday and look like a cover for everyone else.”
She was accompanied by former porn actress Isabelle Lagace throughout much of the voyage, which spanned 51 days and saw the pair travel to the UK, USA, Bermuda, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. The pair posted on social media extensively throughout the voyage.
Lagace was sentenced to seven and a half years behind bars last year.
Andre Tamine, 64, also plead guilty over the incident in 2017. Tamine and Roberge will face sentencing at a later date.
