A 31-year-old French woman has appeared before Perth Magistrates Court after being accused of attempting to import illegal drugs into Australia on a flight from Thailand. The woman was arrested at Perth International Airport on 29 May after Australian Border Force (ABF) officers allegedly found 50g of the banned chemical Butanediol concealed inside a small container labelled “body wash” in her luggage.

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Authorities allege the substance, which metabolises into the drug GHB when ingested, was discovered during a routine inspection. Officers also examined the woman’s mobile phone and allegedly found a photograph indicating she was internally concealing additional drugs.

The matter was referred to the Australian Federal Police (AFP), which alleged the woman later expelled 40 steroid tablets. The tablets were seized for forensic testing. She has been charged with one count of importing a marketable quantity of border-controlled drugs, an offence carrying a maximum penalty of 25 years’ imprisonment if convicted.

The case is reported just days after a separate drug smuggling allegation involving a 26-year-old Thai Airways cabin crew member. The Thai national was arrested after arriving at Melbourne Airport on 25 June, where ABF officers discovered more than one kilogram of heroin, valued at an estimated AUD 500,000, concealed inside 12 tote bags she was carrying.

She has been charged with importing and possessing a marketable quantity of a border-controlled drug and is due to appear before Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 14 September. Authorities have stressed there is no suggestion the two cases are connected.

AFP Detective Acting Superintendent Peter Brindal said the arrests demonstrated the close cooperation between the AFP and ABF in preventing illicit drugs from entering Australia. He warned that anyone considering involvement in drug importation should expect to be detected, arrested and brought before the courts.

The Daily Mail reported that ABF Superintendent John Eldridge described Butanediol as an extremely dangerous chemical solvent that converts to Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) inside the body. He noted that just a few milligrams can be fatal and said the substance has been classified as a border-controlled drug in Australia since 2024, placing it alongside methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine under the country’s drug importation laws.

Picture courtesy of Daily Mail

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Adapted by ASEAN Now Dailymail 2 July 2026

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