Drug-smuggling sentence 'a warning': Australia

The Australian Government said today the jailing of a British man for smuggling the drug Ecstasy would send a powerful message that Australia was not an easy target for drug traffickers.

Philip Campbell Grimwood received a 14-year prison sentence yesterday for attempting to smuggle 1.5 million Australian dollars (£460,000) worth of Ecstasy into Perth, the capital of Western Australia, in February, Justice and Customs Minister Chris Ellison said.

Grimwood was arrested at Perth airport after customs officials X-rayed his baggage and discovered 20,000 Ecstasy tablets.

Western Australia Supreme Court ordered Grimwood to serve a minimum of seven years in prison before being eligible for parole.

‘‘This result shows that Australia is not an easy target for drug importers and they can expect long prison sentences when they are caught,’’ Ellison said in a statement.