Courts / Dublin / Report

Jail for student caught carrying cocaine at airport

Summary

Lucas Lima, a 25‑year‑old Brazilian student living at Mountjoy Square, Dublin, pleaded guilty in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to importing cocaine into Ireland. He was offered €1,000 to €3,000 to transport a bag containing €139,650 worth of cocaine from Spain to Dublin Airport on 11 January 2016. Revenue officials intercepted him at the airport using customs profiling; they found three plastic bottles in a second suitcase, the lids of which were glued and contained cocaine when opened. Lima claimed he needed money to renew his student visa and pay for an English‑language college, and that a Brazilian acquaintance offered him payment for the delivery. Garda Kevin Nolan said Lima knew he was bringing illicit goods. Judge Elma Sheahan, noting the circumstances, imposed a six‑year sentence, suspended the final three and a half years, and allowed her to depart from the mandatory ten‑year minimum for the offence.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Jail for student caught carrying cocaine at airport. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• January 11, 2016 Incident
• 2016-06-24 Publication

Why: An English language student who agreed to transport cocaine because he needed money to pay college fees has been jailed for two and a half years. CNI source report

Places mentioned

Topics

Drugs Stage Sentence

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Read the original CNI report