Drug mule who swallowed 100 cocaine pellets jailed

By Sonya McLean

A Brazilian woman who agreed to swallow 100 pellets of cocaine in order to import the drugs into Ireland has been jailed for two years.

Camila Alves Cintra Ribeiro (25) later told gardaí it was known in her local area that she was under financial pressure and that her child needed an operation. She had initially agreed to transport the drugs and was promised just under €1,000 to do this. She then tried to withdraw her offer but she, her family and her daughter were threatened.

Ribeiro, of Rua Belanissia, Riberira De Souza. Vila Licia, Sau Paula, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to importing the drugs into Ireland at Dublin Airport on June 6, 2024. She has been in custody since the day of her arrival into Ireland.

The court heard that an immigration officer at the airport was able to converse with Ribeiro as the officer spoke Portuguese. She became suspicious of the woman and asked her if she was carrying anything illegal.

Ribeiro admitted she had swallowed capsules of cocaine and asked to be allowed to use the bathroom. She later passed 100 pellets of the drug, worth an estimated €69,000. Gardaí also seized €1,000 in cash which she had on her at the time of her arrest.

She later told gardaí, with the assistance of an interpreter, that she was desperate for money as her daughter had to undergo surgery for a hearing difficulty. She said she had initially agreed to transport the drugs for the equivalent of €972.

She then told those involved that she no longer wanted to do it and she was threatened and told she would have to pay €10,000.

Fiona Murphy SC, defending, said it was clear that these people had no regard or concern for Ribeiro’s health when they instructed her to import the drugs by ingesting the pellets.

She said her client was genuinely remorseful for her involvement but said she was “lost and desperate” at the time.

Judge Martin Nolan said Ribeiro had been transporting the drugs for reward but acknowledged that she was desperate for money and others who became aware of this took advantage of her situation.

He acknowledged that she co-operated fully, made admissions and was unlikely to come to garda attention again. He backdated the two-year term to when Ribeiro first went into custody.