Courts / Dublin / Report

Brazilian woman swallowed 88 pellets of cocaine

Date
2021-02-23

Stage
Sentence

Primary locality
Dublin

County
Dublin

Summary

Raynessa De Sousa, a 27-year-old Brazilian woman, was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to having drugs for sale or supply at Dublin Airport on September 20, 2020. The court accepted that she swallowed 88 pellets of cocaine, weighing 792 grammes with an estimated street value of €55,447, while travelling from Sao Paulo to Dublin. Prosecution evidence indicated that De Sousa was refused entry due to a lack of a visa and subsequently identified the drugs in her stomach. She stated she was promised €1,200 for the transport but claimed she was threatened into ingesting the pellets after attempting to back out. Defence counsel highlighted her lack of prior convictions, her mental health struggles, and the threats faced by her family in Brazil. Judge Martin Nolan acknowledged that De Sousa was desperate for money and accepted that she wanted to withdraw from the scheme but was prevented by threats. The judge noted it was unlikely she would re-offend. De Sousa was jailed for two years.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Brazilian woman swallowed 88 pellets of cocaine. Charges or matters: having the drugs, worth an estimated €55,447, for sale or supply at Dublin Airport on September 20, 2020. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

September 20, 2020 Hearing Or Sentence
2021-02-23 Publication

Why: A Brazilian woman who swallowed 88 pellets of cocaine before travelling to Ireland because she was "desperate" for money has been jailed for two years. CNI source report

Case subjects

Raynessa De Sousa

Defendant

Charges: having the drugs, worth an estimated €55,447, for sale or supply at Dublin Airport on September 20, 2020 (Admitted)

Plea: Guilty

Outcome: He said she wanted to back out at the last minute but couldn't because of threats made to her. "The court can accept that a person would want to be very desperate to transport drugs in this way," Judge Nolan said, before he jailed De Sousa for two years, adding that it was "unlikely that she will re-offend".