Choi’s bags were deemed suspicious by the Australian Border Force officials when he landed at Kingsford Smith Airport late at night on March 9, 2023, after a gruelling flight from Brazil’s Guarulhos via Dubai.
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Upon arrival, x-rays revealed six bricks of cocaine hidden in the linings, base and internal perimeter of his three suitcases.
Choi was arrested and told investigators from the Australian Federal Police that a Brazilian named Reginald had offered to pay him $US1000 and cover his travel costs to bring the bags to Sydney, where someone would collect the luggage from his hotel.
He had no idea the suitcases contained drugs, he told investigators, and checked the bags to see if there was anything suspicious but did not find anything.
This was not the first time Choi had been in such trouble – he had previously served a sentence for a year and eight months for drug trafficking in Brazil.
Choi told police that his gambling debt would be wiped upon the successful completion of his job.
Choi was refused bail upon his arrest in 2023, and spent 710 days on remand before his sentence this month.
Judge Andrew Scotting sentenced him to a minimum of two years and nine months in prison, meaning he will be eligible for release in December.
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