Australia: police arrested two women from Germany and Spain with smuggling ecstasy

Two women from Germany and Spain will appear in a Sydney court Wednesday after being arrested at Sydney airport allegedly carrying 6 kilograms (13 pounds) of ecstasy in their suitcases, police said.

The women, whose names have not been released, had arrived on a flight from London Tuesday morning with the drugs worth one million Australian dollars (US$737,465; Ђ624,174), the Australian Federal Police alleged in a statement.

An x-ray of the 24-year-old German woman's suitcase allegedly found half the ecstasy tablets concealed in its lining, the statement said.

The 37-year-old Spanish woman was also allegedly found to be carrying the remainder of tablets in her suitcase, it said.

The women, thought to be traveling together, have been charged with importing a prohibited import and will appear.

The maximum penalty for drug trafficking offenses is a fine of up to A$750,000 (US$553,207; Ђ468,041) or life imprisonment, AP reports. P.T.