An Australian court has sentenced a 24-year-old Quebec woman to eight years in prison for attempting to smuggle cocaine.
Melina Roberge was in tears as Judge Kate Trail delivered the sentence.
Roberge was convicted of smuggling a $16 million worth of cocaine into Sydney aboard a luxury cruise ship.
Police dogs had located 35 kilograms of cocaine in Roberge's cabin aboard the MS Sea Princess when it docked in August 2016.
Roberge had told the court she agreed to smuggle the drugs in exchange for the opportunity to take selfies in exotic locations and post them on social media, a vacation estimated at $17,000.
Judge Trail called the crime a "sad" reflection of Roberge's age group, saying that she led a vacuous existence based on how many likes her social media posts garnered.
The judge went on to say that Roberge wanted to be the envy of others, but she doubted she still was.
Roberge will be eligible for parole after four year and nine months, on May 27, 2021, at which point she will likely be deported to Canada.
"I think we have to look at three things," said Canadian defence lawyer Steven Slimovitch from Montreal.
"First and foremost this is a lenient sentence you could argue. Ten to 12 years would be the normal range.
"Second, looking at a street value of cocaine in the millions... Third of all, I think that the judge, on a larger picture is passing, perhaps it's true, a rather pathetic commentary on the generation that she is a part of."
One of Roberge's accomplices, 30-year-old Isabelle Lagacé, was sentenced in November to seven and a half years in prison. She will also likely be deported after becoming eligible for parole after four and a half years.
The third person involved, 65-year-old Andre Tamine, will be sentenced in October.
