A Scottish couple is facing at least 15 years in prison in Australia after the New South Wales (NSW) police seized over 107kg of ketamine from a car rented by the tourists.

Jack Farrelly, 30, and Demi McDaid, 23, were arrested and charged in Sydney on 29 June following a raid on a hotel in north Sydney, the NSW police said.

The police have alleged that the couple had arrived in Australia for "the sole purpose" of taking part in the distribution and supply of large commercial quantities of prohibited drugs.

The NSW police found about 2kg of drugs believed to be ketamine, scales, disposable gloves, clear resealable bags with white crystallised residue at a short-term let unit on Hampden Road in the suburb of Artarmon.

Three days later, the police raided a hotel in North Sydney and discovered another 105kg of ketamine in the boot of a car leased by Mr Farrelly, which was stationed in the hotel car park.

The couple from Edinburgh was arrested following the discovery of banned narcotics worth almost £6m. Multiple mobile phones, over A$2000 (£1,051) in cash, and documents have been seized from the couple's room at the raided hotel.

Mr Farrelly and Ms McDaid were refused bail during an initial appearance on 30 June and will appear at Downing Centre local court on 26 August.

The raids were conducted after locals tipped off the police, becoming suspicious of the two Scottish tourists. Police claimed the couple had no local ties and relied on their “fresh faces” to avoid detection.

Alison Dixon, the acting crime manager for North Shore police area command, said that drug syndicates were increasingly relying on the high turnover of temporary accommodation rentals to fly under the radar.

“We have seen this before in short stays and encourage property owners to be wary,” she told news.com.au. “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."

Police were investigating whether the arrested Scottish couple could be connected to local drug dealing rather than importation.

The drug haul was discovered amid reports of Australia witnessing a record number of ketamine users in recent years.

A National Drug Household Survey conducted in 2022-2023 found that 300,000 people said they used ketamine in the previous 12 months. At least 900,000 said they had used illegal ketamine in their lifetime, according to the survey by the Australian Institute of Health and Wellbeing.

The Australian Border Force seized more than 438kg of ketamine, with an estimated street value of approximately A$75m (£39.3m), between 31 December 2025 and 31 January 2026.