Drug mule jailed for three years after being caught with cocaine at Dublin Airport

By Niamh O’ Donoghue

A drugs mule who had an affair with his teacher when he was 14 and had a child with her has been jailed for three years for importing over €80,000 worth of cocaine at Dublin Airport.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that Lemos Luise Rocha (24) smuggled the 1.23kg drugs because he met a man with a nice car who told him he had “done something to have a nice life.”

Rocha (24) who is from Sao Paulo in Brazil and has been in custody since his arrest, pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine at Dublin Airport on March 31, 2024.

He swallowed half of the pellets, and the rest were wrapped around his groin and in each of his shoes. He admitted he had swallowed some of the drugs and gardai had to wait for them to pass.

In mitigation, defence counsel, James Dwyer SC, said Rocha had an affair with his teacher when he was 14 and has a child with her. He also has three other children but has never met his youngest.

Garda Tanya Shinkins told the court Rocha received a downpayment in the form of a hamper which is a significant gesture for a very impoverished family in Brazil.

Gda Shinkins agreed with Mr Dwyer that his client volunteered he had pellets inside. She further agreed that “family concerns were at the forefront”.

His counsel asked the judge to take account that he was in fear of his life, his admissions and the co-ercion involved. He also asked for consideration for the fact Rocha is serving time abroad away from his family.

Judge Martin Nolan jailed Rocha for three years. He said the man carried out the offence for a cash reward and was imposed upon to transport these drugs to Ireland.

Judge Nolan said “it’s a serious crime” but Rocha had expressed remorse. He said he had to take into account that he is a foreign national. The judge noted the minimum sentence was 10 years “but the mitigation is strong”.

He jailed him for three years and backdated to March 31, 2024 for time spent in custody as he could not take up bail.

Rocha came to Ireland because he met a man who was in a nice car out shopping who told him he had done something “to have a nice life” the court was told, referring to selling drugs.

He did have second thoughts and a certain element of pressure was exerted on him at that point, as they had already paid utility bills for him and given him a hamper as well as 500 euro. He said he was given water to swallow drugs but he vomited them up. He said he told this man he wanted to give up.

He was told he couldn’t swallow some of them.

“He was told it was all or nothing”, the court heard, and that “he was told he was taking all the pellets or nothing at all.”

Rocha told gardai he was to go to a hotel after he arrived. He was in communication with them by mobile phone and he had 500 euro on him as a part payment. The severity of what he had done was apparent to him when he told gardai “something that was going to change my life is going to ruin my life”.

He has no previous convictions and he had never been on an airplane before, the court heard.