An American woman was arrested at Sydney Airport after a 24-carat gold-plated handgun was discovered in her luggage.
Australian authorities say that the 28-year-old woman was a US citizen who had travelled to Sydney from Los Angeles.
Australian Border Force said in a statement that the suspect, who has not been named, was charged with violating customs laws that prevent weapons from being brought into the country.
Following the discovery on Sunday, she was taken into custody before appearing in court and being released on bail.
ABF says that she could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted, but also cancellation of her visa and removal from the country depending on how the case against her proceeds.
“Time and time again, we have seen just how good ABF officers are at targeting and stopping illegal, and highly dangerous, goods from crossing Australia’s border,” said Justin Bathurst, the Enforcement and Detained Goods East Commander at the Australian Border Force.
“The ABF is Australia’s first and most important line of defence. ABF officers are committed to protecting our community by working with law enforcement partners to prevent items like unregistered firearms getting through at the border.”
Australia has some of the world’s toughest gun laws that were introduced after a shooting in the Tasmanian town of Port Arthur in April 1996 killed 35 victims and wounded another 23.
The new laws banned the sale and importation of all automatic and semi-automatic rifles and shotguns, forced most buyers to present a legitimate reason for ownership, and wait 28 days to complete the purchase.
It also resulted in a mandatory gun buyback with the Australian government confiscating and destroying nearly 700,000 weapons. That move alone cut the number of gun-owning households in the country by half.
Australia has seen just one mass shooting since the gun laws were introduced.
