Scots mum Demi McDaid, 23, filmed herself posing with Louis Vuitton and Chanel bags on TikTok before being arrested in Australia over a massive ketamine haul.
Arrest and charges
McDaid and her boyfriend Jack Farrelly, 30, were arrested at a hotel in Sydney on June 26 after a raid by New South Wales Police. Officers found 107kg of ketamine in their rental car, along with mobile phones, more than $2,000 in cash, and documents alleged to be drug ledgers. A subsequent raid at a unit in Artarmon uncovered another 2kg of ketamine.
The couple have been charged with two counts of supplying a prohibited drug – one larger than an indictable quantity and one larger than a commercial quantity. They appeared at Manly Local Court last month, where they were refused bail and ordered to reappear at Downing Centre Local Court on August 25.
TikTok posts
Before moving to Australia, McDaid posted a TikTok video showing herself at an airport posing with designer bags. The caption read: "POV: He books you to a flight to where he is cause you miss each other that much and can't go a few days without seeing one another."
Police investigation
NSW Police allege the pair came to Australia with "the sole purpose of taking part in the distribution and supply of large commercial quantities of prohibited drugs". In a statement, the force said: "Further investigations into anyone else who may have been involved are underway."
The investigation was triggered by a tip-off from locals about activity at a rented unit. Acting Crime Manager for North Shore Police Area Command Detective Acting Inspector Alison Dixon said drug syndicates are increasingly using short-term rentals to avoid detection. "We have seen this before in short stays and encourage property owners to be wary. People staying in hotels and Airbnbs, we see a lot of illegal activities come and go through those places. Stuff out of the ordinary that doesn’t look right... if it doesn’t look right, it probably isn’t," she said.
The drugs have an estimated street value of AUD$11 million (approximately £5.7 million).
