West Coast beekeeper charged with smuggling cocaine into Australia a good person who fell victim to on-line scammers, says lawyer

The trial of West Coast beekeeper Roy Stuart Arbon, 68, arrested in February 2016 with 2kg of pure cocaine concealed in a suitcase he brought to Australia from Brazil, began in Perth yesterday. Photo / File

A 68-year-old former West Coaster beekeeper charged with smuggling more than 2kg of pure cocaine into Australia is a good person who fell victim to on-line scammers, his lawyer says.

Roy Stuart Arbon was arrested at Perth International Airport in February 2016. The drugs were concealed in a suitcase he brought from Brazil. His trial began yesterday in the Perth District Court.

According to ABC News, Arbon told authorities he had been given the bag by a Nigerian man in Brazil named "Anthony Lambert".

The court heard he told authorities he was taking the suitcase to India "as a favour", and he had checked it and believed it only contained clothes.

But Arbon said he had not been able to go to India because he did not have a certificate for yellow fever vaccination.

However, when he landed at Perth, 2.5kg of powder was found in the bag, 2kg of which was cocaine, estimated to be worth between $700,000 and $1.4 million.

Border Force officer Christopher Brown told the court Arbon had claimed he was trying to organise a loan of $US120,000 with a Nigerian man named "Doctor William Johnson" who had approached him via the internet, ABC reported.

Arbon said he had intended to sign some loan documents in India, but told a Border Force officer he was to meet "Dr Johnson" in Sydney for this.

The Border Force officer said Arbon told him of a previous occasion when he brought two suitcases from India to Perth, to be collected by two men of Indian descent.

Arbon's defence lawyer, Sarah Oliver, said he had fallen victim to online scammers.

He was an "innocent victim of a criminal enterprise who targeted him on-line".

Arbon was a "good person" who did not know he was involved in trafficking drugs, Ms Oliver said.

Prosecutor Edward Fitzpatrick cautioned the jury against having sympathy or prejudice for Arbon, despite the fact he "seems a rather grandfatherly man".

(Proceeding)

- Greymouth Star