Courts / Dublin / Report

Jail for British teen caught with €445k in horse tranquilliser

Date
2024-01-17

Stage
Sentence

Primary locality
Dublin

County
Dublin

Summary

Jemima Tambo Bebi, a 19‑year‑old British teenager, was arrested at Dublin Airport after a suitcase she had picked up in Amsterdam was x‑rayed and found to contain about seven kilos of ketamine, a horse tranquilliser, valued at €445,452. The ketamine was intended for sale or supply at Terminal 2, Dublin Airport on 2 September. Bebi pleaded guilty and cooperated fully with the investigation. Judge Martin Nolan described the case as a "particularly stupid escapade" and, citing her young age and lack of prior convictions, departed from the mandatory ten‑year minimum, sentencing her to three years in prison. The sentence was back‑dated to the day she was remanded in custody on 2 September. Bebi had been planning to start training as a prison officer and had applied for third‑level courses at the time of the offence.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Jail for British teen caught with €445k in horse tranquilliser. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

September 2 Incident
2024-01-17 Publication

Case subjects

Jemima Tambo Bebi

Defendant

Plea: Guilty

Outcome: The three-year sentence was backdated to when Bebi went into custody on September 2 last.; The court heard that Bebi, of Woodstone Road, London, UK, has had no prison visits apart from her solicitor and has been struggling with social isolation since she was remanded in custody last year.