Current:Home > ContactAmerican woman arrested with 24-carat gold-plated gun in luggage at Australian airport -InfinityFinance
American woman arrested with 24-carat gold-plated gun in luggage at Australian airport
View
Date:2025-04-17 04:21:58
An American woman was arrested at Sydney Airport this week after border force officers found a 24-carat gold-plated handgun in her luggage, authorities said.
Investigators charged the woman, a 28-year-old U.S. citizen who had traveled to Sydney from Los Angeles, with violating an Australian customs law that prohibits items like weapons, radioactive substances and counterfeit credit cards. She could be get up to 10 years in prison if convicted, the Australian Border Force said in a news release.
The woman, who authorities did not identify, was taken into custody after her arrival in Sydney on Sunday. She appeared in court the following day and received bail, but she could still face visa cancellation and removal from Australia depending on how the ongoing legal proceedings turn out, according to the Australian Border Force.
Australia has some of the strictest gun laws in the world. After a mass shooting at a café in the Tasmanian town of Port Arthur in April 1996, which left 35 people dead and another 23 people wounded, Australia passed legislation that banned the sale and importation of automatic and semi-automatic rifles and shotguns, established a 28-day waiting period to buy a firearm, and implemented a widespread and mandatory gun-buyback program. The government confiscated and destroyed almost 700,000 firearms, which, at the time, cut the number of gun-owning households by about half in Australia.
As of May 2022, only one mass shooting happened in Australia since those gun laws were passed, and reports indicated that gun homicides were down 60% nationwide.
Australia is also known for its stringent customs laws. In a statement responding to the American traveler's undeclared gold handgun found in Sydney, Justin Bathurst, the Enforcement and Detained Goods East Commander at the Australian Border Force, said, "Time and time again, we have seen just how good ABF officers are at targeting and stopping illegal, and highly dangerous, goods from crossing Australia's border."
"The ABF is Australia's first and most important line of defence," Bathurst said in the statement. "ABF officers are committed to protecting our community by working with law enforcement partners to prevent items like unregistered firearms getting through at the border."
- In:
- Australia
- Guns
veryGood! (726)
Related
- Federal court filings allege official committed perjury in lawsuit tied to Louisiana grain terminal
- 2 corrections officers stabbed, 3 others injured in assault at Massachusetts prison
- California law cracking down on election deepfakes by AI to be tested
- Detroit suburbs sue to try to stop the shipment of radioactive soil from New York
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
- Families of Americans detained in China share their pain and urge US to get them home
- Dave Grohl's Wife Jordyn Blum Seen Without Wedding Ring After Bombshell Admission
- Brittany Cartwright Admits She Got This Cosmetic Procedure Before Divorcing Jax Taylor
- Rams vs. 49ers highlights: LA wins rainy defensive struggle in key divisional game
- Vermont caps emergency motel housing for homeless, forcing many to leave this month
Ranking
- Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
- Refugees in New Hampshire turn to farming for an income and a taste of home
- Emily in Paris’ Lily Collins Has Surprising Pick for Emily Cooper's One True Love
- Nearly 138,000 beds are being recalled after reports of them breaking or collapsing during use
- Charges tied to China weigh on GM in Q4, but profit and revenue top expectations
- Emily in Paris' Lucas Bravo Reveals He Wasn't Originally Cast as Gabriel
- The Smoky Mountains’ highest peak is reverting to the Cherokee name Kuwohi
- Why Florence Pugh Will Likely Never Address Don’t Worry Darling Drama
Recommendation
Jorge Ramos reveals his final day with 'Noticiero Univision': 'It's been quite a ride'
Ranking NFL's nine 2-0 teams by legitimacy: Who's actually a contender?
Hackers demand $6 million for files stolen from Seattle airport operator in cyberattack
VP says woman’s death after delayed abortion treatment shows consequences of Trump’s actions
FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup
The viral $2.99 Trader Joe's mini tote bags are back for a limited time
Los Angeles area sees more dengue fever in people bitten by local mosquitoes
Vermont caps emergency motel housing for homeless, forcing many to leave this month