A woman who imported £24,000 worth of cannabis last November 15th has been jailed for 18 months by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Fikelephi Promise Thusinini thought she had landed in England when she arrived at Dublin Airport on a flight from Vienna, the court was told.
Customs officials found 12 bags in a hidden compartment in her suitcase. When asked what they contained, she replied dache, a South African word for cannabis.
Thusinini (31), of Johannesburg, South Africa, who pleaded guilty, wept as the sentence was read out.
Garda David Donnelly said Thusinini had admitted that a man in Johannesburg had offered her £1,000 to smuggle drugs. She had the address for a hotel in Denmark Street, London, to meet a contact. She came from a very poor background.
Mr Marrinan said his client had shown "incredible naivety" and had agreed to smuggle the drugs because she needed the money for her son's education, and her partner had since left her.
Judge Kevin Haugh said the court was moved by her plight. However, drug dealers were known to use vulnerable people, and the court could not let this happen. He backdated the sentence to November 15th and ordered that the cannabis be destroyed.