An American woman was arrested in Australia on Sunday after landing in Sydney with an undeclared 24-karat gold-plated handgun in her luggage, according to the Australian Border Force (ABF).
The woman, who has not been identified, was charged under section 233BAB(5) of the Customs Act 1901, which prohibits the importation of firearms, as well as certain knives, radioactive material, chemical compounds and other items.
She faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
The woman was stopped at Sydney airport after the gold-plated gun was found in her luggage. (Australian Border Force)
The woman arrived from Los Angeles and the gun was located by “sophisticated detection technology” at Sydney airport on Australia’s east coast.
“Time and time again, we have seen how well ABF officers are at targeting and stopping highly dangerous and illegal goods from crossing the border into Australia,” ABF Commander Justin Bathurst said in a statement. .
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Australia has extremely strict gun regulations, implementing a buyback program in 1996 that saw the government purchase nearly 700,000 firearms from the public following a mass shooting that killed 35 people.
Australian Border Force officers detected the gun with screening technology. (Australian Border Force)
The woman was released on bail on Monday and is subject to visa restrictions pending the outcome of the court case.
The US State Department did not immediately return a request for comment on the case.
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Australia is popular with some competitive sport shooters and hunters.
Americans who want to bring a firearm into the country must get permission from the government before their flight.
