Courts / Dublin / Report

Brazilian man swallowed half a kilo of cocaine before flying to Ireland

Summary

A Brazilian national who swallowed about half a kilo of cocaine pellets before boarding a flight to Ireland has been jailed for 21 months. Antonio Bezerra Dos Santos pleaded guilty to importing drugs into the country at Dublin Airport. She was arrested by customs officers and taken to Beaumont Hospital, where she passed 47 pellets of cocaine over three days. An estimated 400-500g of cocaine with a street value of €32,000 was recovered. Dos Santos claimed she was forced to carry out the drug importation by a criminal organisation in Brazil. She has no previous convictions and was referred to as she/her in court. Her defence highlighted that she struggled to swallow all the pellets and was given a small reward. The judge noted that she is unlikely to re-offend and set a sentence of 21 months, backdated to when she went into custody.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Brazilian man swallowed half a kilo of cocaine before flying to Ireland. Charges or matters: one count of importing drugs into the country at Dublin Airport on March 16, 2025. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• March 16, 2025 Incident
• 2025-11-28 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Drugs Stage Sentence

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Read the original CNI report