A Brazilian taxi driver who fell foul of loan sharks has been jailed for 2 years after he smuggled cocaine to Ireland by swallowing a large number of pellets.
Jonathan Vieira (31) who is from Manaus City, Brazil appeared before the Circuit Criminal Court this afternoon having come to court on a signed plea.
The court heard that the father of two was stopped by customs officials at Dublin Airport after he was seen to be acting in a suspicious manner on the 16th of March last after landing on a flight from Brazil via Paris.
When interviewed he made admission in relation to the pellets which were each 9.8g, with the total value of the cocaine worth 48,825.
In all 71 pellets were passed through the man’s system, however he admitted that he had swallowed in the region of 90, but had passed some in transit. 34 pellets where passed while in the custody of customs officers, with the balance being passed during treatment in Beaumont Hospital.
Garda Avril Owens gave evidence of how the accused was brought to Dublin Airport Garda Station and made admission in relation to the importation of the drugs.
Vieira said that he had borrowed money from loan sharks in order to purchase a vehicle for work, but had been unable to repay the money before being told that his debt would escalate.
The loan sharks had then begun to threaten the man’s family and have given him the option of acting as a drug mule in order to fulfil the debt.
He said he was aware it was illegal but felt under threat and agreed to swallow the pellets which were worth 500e each.
The court heard that, due to the loss of the cocaine, the man’s family are still being threatened by the crime gang involved.
Fionnuala O’Sullivan SC, described her client’s actions as “an act of desperation”, arguing the he was on the “lowest” level of the drug enterprise.
She said that his parents only became aware of what was happening to their only son when it was made known to them that he had been arrested in Ireland.
His wife and two children remain “in a very difficult situation,” she said.
Judge Martin Nolan agreed with Ms. O’Sullivan’s characterisation of the crime as one of “desperation”.
He noted that the accused has no previous convictions and is not likely to reoffend, also that he will have to serve his sentence in an Irish jail as a foreign national.
Vieira was sentenced to two years in jail imposed on the charge of breaching section 15 A of the Misuse of Drugs Act, backdated to reflect the time he has spent in jail.