Melbourne. 19 March 2010. TRAUMATISED, Maria Silva pleaded her innocence while she was detained for six days in the ”Dungeon,” as the Melbourne Custody Centre is notoriously known.
The Filipina tourist was arrested on 13 March 2010 at Melbourne Airport after a flight from the Philippines with what police authorities thought was more than two kilograms of amphetamines.
Miss Silva, who spent six days in jail on drug charges has been released after police admitted she had nothing more than lemon-flavoured iced tea in her possession.
Twenty-nine-year-old Maria Silva was detained after flying to Melbourne from the Philippines.
A drug detection dog alerted Customs and Border Protection officers to the presence of drugs in her luggage, and initial tests indicated a positive result for amphetamines. She had three packets of Nestea weighing around 2kg. If convicted of importing a commercial quantity of the drug, she faced a maximum sentence of 25 years in jail.
Ms Silva, broke down in tears when she was remanded in custody. She maintained her innocence, and while her solicitor prepared to make an application for bail, the police admitted they had made a mistake, after further tests on the iced tea had confirmed Ms Silva’s story.
The magistrate said the police had acted appropriately but awarded $5,000 costs against them. A police spokesman said the incident was “regrettable”, but said they had dropped the charges as soon as tests revealed the mistake.
The Filipina tourist is now preparing legal action against Australian authorities for the horrific experience she suffered while in a detention cell. According to her barrister, compensation could reach five figures.