Melina Roberge – a glamorous drug-mule and a cruise ship cocaine importer was sentenced to eight years in prison.
The court was headed by a female judge who delivered a blistering attack on her quest for Instagram fame.
Roberge, 24, was sentenced alongside her co-accused, former porn star Isabelle Lagace, for plotting to smuggle £15million of cocaine on a luxury cruise ship.
Roberge will serve a minimum of four years and nine months in prison, with her earliest possible release date in May 2021 – three months after Lagace’s non-parole period expires, news.com.au reports.
Generally, there were three Canadians who imported 95kg cocaine on a luxury cruise. The 24-year-old was the youngest of them.
The most ridiculous thing is that both women posted their exotic port stops on Instagram. That’s why they received such a blistering attack from the judge.
On Wednesday, NSW District Court Judge Kate Traill attacked one of Roberge’s motivation for taking the drug cruise.
“It is a very sad indictment on her relative age group in society to seem to get self-worth relative to posts on Instagram,” Judge Traill said while addressing a sometimes tearful Roberge.
“It is sad they seek to attain such a vacuous existence where how many likes they receive are their currency.”
“She was seduced by lifestyle and the opportunity to post glamorous Instagram photos from around the world.”
“This highlights the negative influence of social media on young women.”
Judge Traill also said Roberge had a sexual relationship with a “much older man”, her so-called “sugar daddy”. A sugar daddy is a man who often financially supports a younger woman in return for a relationship. Whilst these relationships are mostly similar to the likes of an ordinary london escort service, it seems that Roberge’s relationship had an illicit layer hidden beneath.
“He charmed her and spoiled her and became intimately involved with her,” Judge Traill said.
According to news.com.au, the pair and a third French Canadian drug plotter, Andre Tamine, were arrested in August 2016 when MS Sea Princess berthed in Sydney and Australian Border Force officials raided their cabins.
In June 2016 she said “my sugar daddy contacted me”, and she became a last-minute replacement on the MS Sea Princess.
What is more, Roberge told a Sydney court last month that she had been “excited” about taking the luxury trip which she could not have afforded to pay for.
Roberge has made a court apology to “the people of Australia” and said since being in jail, “I have come across people struggling with addiction. I don’t want to be part of that.”
What about their third companion, he will be sentenced at a later date.