‘Does customs check every bag in Australia?’ The ridiculous Google searches that brought down a bumbling drug runner who tried to smuggle 5kg of cocaine into Australia
- Sam Kul tried to smuggle 4 kilograms of cocaine into Australia in his suitcase
- The 36-year-old used Google to conduct research ahead of planned importation
- Police found in Kul’s phone he searched ‘Does every bag get scanned airport’
A bumbling drug runner who tried to smuggle almost five kilograms of cocaine into Australia was brought down by his Google search history.
Sam Kul, 36, used the search engine to conduct research about airport protocols and private browsing ahead of his attempted drug importation.
‘Does every bag get scanned airport,’ ‘bringing a million dollars through airport’ and ‘how to browse privately on samsung’ were some of the burning questions police found in Kul’s mobile on April 14, 2017.
He was busted with just over 4kg of pure cocaine hidden in a false suitcase bottom after landing at Melbourne Airport following a European trip.
Sam Kul, 36, used Google to conduct research about airport protocols and private browsing ahead of his attempted drug importation. Pictured: The suitcase where the drugs were found
Kul, who’d spent years working in airport security, claimed he’d been set up but a jury didn’t buy it.
Earlier this month, they convicted the 36-year-old of importing a commercial quantity of the drug.
His lawyer told a plea hearing in Victoria’s County Court on Monday Kul had taken out a loan for an ‘overly extravagant’ Mercedes-AMG to impress his girlfriend before bringing drugs into the country. He was also trying to pay off a mortgage.
‘The reason that he entered into this arrangement was to try and maintain the assets that he had sought to acquire,’ barrister Matthew Kowalski said.
Kul believed he was in for a $20,000 pay day for smuggling the cocaine but lost both the house and car after his arrest.
The crime carries a maximum of life imprisonment but Mr Kowalski asked for Kul to be spared a crushing sentence.
Kul was busted with just over 4kg of pure cocaine hidden in a false suitcase bottom after landing at Melbourne Airport following a European trip
The self-described Airtasker ‘handyman’ had decent prospects for rehabilitation because of his supportive family, the lawyer added.
They were initially mortified by what Kul had done but overcame this and packed the court room for his plea hearing.
Prosecutors stressed the seriousness of Kul’s crime, particularly given his airport security background.
He has spent 435 days in pre-sentence detention and is due to learn his punishment next Tuesday.