EXCLUSIVE: Young couple who allegedly tried to smuggle 800kg of meth hidden in coconut milk cans into Australia could be jailed for 25 years if found guilty
- Melissa Phommahaxay and Souknelane Meksavannah arrested on drug charges
- Phommahaxay, 29, and Meksavanah, 20, allegedly collected 800kg of meth
- The drugs had been smuggled into Australia from Thailand in coconut milk cans
- Neither applied for bail at Central Local Court in Sydney on Thursday afternoon
A young couple have allegedly been caught trying to bring 800kg of methamphetamine into Australia inside cans of coconut milk.
Melissa Phommahaxay, 29, and Souknelane Meksavannah, 20, were arrested late on Wednesday night by Australian Federal Police officers who had been tracking them as they went to collect a shipment from Bangkok, Thailand.
Daily Mail Australia can reveal the pair allegedly attempted to conceal the shipment in cans of coconut milk, but their true contents were discovered at Sydney Airport.
Both Phommahaxay and Meksavannah faced Central Local Court on Thursday, less than 24 hours after their alleged illegal business deal had come crashing down.
Melissa Phommahaxay (pictured), 29, and Souknelane Meksavanah, 20, were arrested late on Wednesday night by Australian Federal Police officers as they collected a shipment of drugs from Thailand
An AFP officer dressed as a delivery driver allegedly dropped off the shipment at a warehouse the pair had allegedly listed as the delivery address on Wednesday morning.
When they allegedly visited the warehouse in Sydney's west that night to make sure everything was in place, police were watching.
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AFP officers followed them from the warehouse to their nearby homes and swooped.
Both Phommahaxay and Meksavanah - who is originally from Laos - were then taken to AFP headquarters on Goulburn Street, in Sydney's CBD, and interviewed.
They were charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of a controlled drug into Australia.
Phommahaxay's parents and supporters sit on the steps outside Central Local Court after she appeared on charges of possessing 800 kilograms of methamphetamine, hidden in coconut milk cans
Phommahaxay's solicitor Michael Moussa leaves Central Local Court on Thursday afternoon
Phommahaxay's parents sat quietly in court as their daughter appeared over audio visual link.
Wearing a Disney jumper featuring Mickey Mouse, she sat quietly as lawyer Michael Moussa made no application for bail.
Meksavanah was represented by a court appointed lawyer who similarly did not try to get his client bail.
Both matters will return to Central Local Court on November 4.
