23-year-old Mélina Roberge, accused of smuggling cocaine worth $30 million into Australia is to stand trial early next year. Roberge, sobbed loudly and wept in the dock of Central Local Court in Sydney, Australia, as Magistrate Robert Williams listed the reasons why he was sending her to trial.
Evidence given during a committal hearing for weeping accused ‘drug courier’ alleges that she was a knowing participant in the attempt to import the huge quantity of cocaine into Australia in August this year.
Meanwhile, all three suspects who were charged in Australia with drug smuggling were denied bail after making a court appearance in Sydney on the same day.
Andre Tamine, 64, Isabelle Lagacé, 28, and Melina Roberge, 23, were arrested in late August after the MS Sea Princess, operated by California-based Princess Cruises, berthed in Sydney,  Australian.

The twin high rollers lived it up before the fateful stopover in Australia

Mélina Roberge, claims the case against her is at best circumstantial – has pled not guilty to commercial drug importation charges

Megabust: Almost a ton of ‘coke’ in the ir suitcases, worth almost $31 million, Australian authorities say 

Australian police also arrested their travelling companion, a French Canadian, 64-year-old Andre Tamine. The two girls shared Cabin P312 on board the Sea Princess for 39 days while Mr Tamine occupied cabin C537.

Canadian women Mélina Roberge is on trial in Sidney as part of a 7-man ring that tried to import almost a ton of cocaine into Australia aboard a cruise ship

Like peas in a pod: Once inseperable, now Roberge (left) claims Lagacé (right), was out on her own in the drug trade

“It is clear there was a large quantity of the substance which appeared to be in safekeeping in the room shared by Lagacé and Roberge,” Mr Williams told the court.
“It is highly improbable that a person other than the defendant Roberge or Lagacé would have stored the items in the suitcase under the bed.
“The cabin space was tiny. The suitcase was reasonably large. All other suitcases in the cabin were emptied.
“It is also clear that Roberge and Lagacé shared the cabin for at least 39 days.”

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The three suspects Andre Tamine, Isabelle Legace and Melina Roberge, were on the Sea Princess cruise liner

Summing up the circumstances of the case presiding magistrate, Robert Williams noted that Roberge and the other two defendants had booked their tickets for the Sea Princess cruise within a day of each other, using the same travel agency.
The two women who both embarked on the ship on July 20, shared an email address, as well as, their emergency contacts for the booking.
William further said the CCTV footage of the ship’s arrival and departures in port showed Roberge and Lagacé returning to the ship together, in the company of Andre Tamine.
The suitcases allegedly found with cocaine in both cabins were similar in weight.The drug which was of a similar level of purity, was similarly packaged in ziplock bags and taped with packing tape which was found in the women’s cabin.
Mr Williams asked Roberge to stand up in court as he asked her three questions as to whether she wanted to give any evidence in relation to the charge against her of importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug.
Weeping loudly, Roberge said “no” three times.
She continued to sob as Mr Williams committed her to stand trial on February 3 for the alleged drug importation.

Roberge’s partner in crime Isabelle Lagacé could receive a life sentence

Porn star Isabelle Lagacé , aka Izabel, already admitted her guilt in the drug smuggling scheme

The court documents state that seven members of the cocaine drug cartel were aboard the Sea Princess as it cruised from New York via Tahiti to Sydney carrying 95kg of cocaine.
Crown prosecutor Lincoln Crowley alleged that the two glamorous young Canadian women were an integral part of this “floating warehouse” of drugs, having secreted 29kg of it in a suitcase in their tiny shared cabin.
Along with their co-accused, Andre Tamine, four men who were part of the alleged drug operation were also on board the cruise ship in cabins 706 and 715 as the ship sailed towards Australia.

Attorneys for Mélina Roberge (seen aboard the cruise liner) are striving to put some distance between her and her travelling companions in the commission of the drug smuggling crime

However, defense attorney Ragni Mathur argued that Roberge was unaware of the cocaine in her friend Lagacé’s luggage. Roberge had booked her ticket for the trip with another man who was not associated with the criminal enterprise behind the drug deal, Mathur said. Highlighting the fact that both Lagacé and Tamine had booked their cruise together, while client booked separately
Ms Mathur said that Roberge should escape being committed for trial because she was only guilty by her association with Lagacé. She stated that CCTV footage of Roberge embarking and disembarking the Sea Princess shows she had “nothing in her possession except a wallet or mobile phone”.

Gadfly: Roberge getting a tattoo in French Polynesia with the caption #dumbanddumber

Mélina Roberge, (left) and Isabelle Lagacé, (right) were arrested on suspicion of smuggling $30 million (US$23 million) worth of cocaine into Australia

Before it alll came crashing down, Mélina Roberge flaunts her sneakers and passport aboard the cruise ship – posted on Instagram

Whereas Lagacé, who carried both an iPhone and BlackBerry and had admitted at one point that she owned the suitcase in which cocaine was later found.  Ms Mathur insisted that despite the fact that Roberge was friends with her travelling companion, that did not mean she knew about the cocaine enterprise.
“You don’t need two chickens to keep warm a golden egg,” she said.