How posting Instagram holiday cruise pictures led to a $30m cocaine bust

Two women from Quebec had their cruise holiday interrupted when about $30 million worth of cocaine was discovered in their suitcases by Australian law enforcement.


En route, the two women posted photographs of the trip from their Instagram accounts.

Holiday makers Isabelle Lagacé, 28, and Melina Roberge, 22, went aboard a cruise ship in England in early July, and then travelled to ports in North America, the Caribbean and South America. The pair posted Instagram photos from their stops including Bermuda, Columbia, Ecuador, French Polynesia, Peru and the US.

After the psosts, pair have since become entangled in an international drug smuggling case, which is alleged to have occurred on the very same trip documented on social media.

According to the Toronto Star, investigators have not determined if Lagacé and Roberge were working alongside the man who was arrested, André Tamine, 63, another Quebec native. If found guilty of smuggling the 95kg of cocaine found in their suitcases, the trio could face life imprisonment.

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The three were flagged as 'high-risk passengers' on board the MS Sea Princess, following coordination with the US Department of Homeland Security, the New Zealand Customs Service and the Canada Border Services Agency.

A week ago, Roberge posted this to Instagram with the caption:

: means the protection of the traveler 🌐 #indonesiantattoo

A statement from the Australian Department of Immigration and Border protection, said all three individuals were to be charged with importing a commercial quantity of cocaine. According to ABC Sydney, they appeared in Sydney Central Local Court on Monday via video link from police custody. The three did not apply for bail, and will remain in custody until their next court date on 26 October.

The Instagram handles of the women charged are omitted.