Courts / Dublin / Report
"Desperate" drugs mule swallowed 52 cocaine pellets
Summary
A 24‑year‑old Latvian man, Evalds Markos, was jailed for two and a half years after swallowing 52 cocaine pellets, worth just under €36,000, before being caught by customs at Dublin Airport. He pleaded guilty to possessing drugs for sale or supply in the customs hall of Terminal One on 28 October. After his arrest he was taken to Beaumont Hospital where he passed the pellets and was later discharged. Markos admitted he had been told to swallow the pellets by an associate in Amsterdam and that he expected payment of €1,500, though he claimed he had not been paid. He had no prior convictions in Ireland but had a history of theft, fraud and robbery in Latvia and shoplifting and criminal damage in France.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: "Desperate" drugs mule swallowed 52 cocaine pellets. Charges or matters: possessing the drugs for sale or supply in the customs hall of Terminal One on October 28 last. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- October 28 Incident
- Christmas Other
- 2018-07-05 Publication
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: possessing the drugs for sale or supply in the customs hall of Terminal One on October 28 last (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: At a sentence hearing today, Judge Martin Nolan said it was a serious crime but that there was hope for Markos' rehabilitation. "He was transporting these illicit drugs for reward for third parties…it seems he was desperate," said the judge, noting that there was a pattern to the offending as Markos had committed a similar crime before.
Places mentioned
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
- Beaumont Hospital
- Midlands Prison
- Midland Prison
Topics
Drugs Fraud Stage Sentence Theft
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