National

Grandpa guilty, not gullible over heroin import plot

Apr 1, 2026

Camp stretcher containing heroin (file) — About 2.5kg of pure heroin was found in a camp bed a 70-year-old man brought into Australia. -PR IMAGE

Claims a grandfather was unaware a foldable camp bed contained illicit drugs despite being offered millions to bring it into Australia have been rejected by a jury.

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Barry James Calverley was stopped by border force officials at Sydney International Airport on a flight from Laos via Vietnam on January 24, 2024.

He was carrying a green bag containing a camp bed with mosquito net which had 48 packages of heroin hidden within the metal frame.

The 70-year-old was found guilty of one count of importing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug by a NSW District Court jury on Wednesday.

Jurors returned the verdict after deliberating for just over eight hours.

They were told at trial that Calverley was offered $10 million to bring the camp bed from Laos to Australia.

Commonwealth prosecutor Sheridan Goodwin told the jury the total weight of pure heroin within the bed was around 2.5kg.

In late 2023, Calverley received an email saying there was a payment waiting for him of more than $14 million.

This reduced to $10 million after he was directed to pick up some documents in the Laotian capital of Vientiane and return with a "gift" to someone called the "paymaster general" in Sydney.

He claimed he thought the money offered was compensation after he had been conned out of $260,000 in 2022.

He will face a sentence hearing on April 22.