A man who smuggled cocaine worth almost €42,000 into Ireland was sentenced to six years in prison by Judge Katherine Delahunt at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court yesterday.
Marius Mark (22) of Parnu Manntte, Tallin, Estonia, pleaded guilty to possession of the drugs for sale or supply at Dublin airport on March 8th, 2006.
Marina Kaljurand, the Estonian ambassador to the Russian Federation, who is Mark's aunt, told Paul Greene BL, defending, her nephew was "a kind and friendly young man" who had worked for a homeless organisation and was socially active in Estonia.
She agreed with counsel that he had been psychiatrically assessed while in custody and was found to be lacking insight and understanding that people of his own age should have. She added that he had changed more in the last 10 months in prison than he had in previous years.
Mark's parents, who run an antique business in Tallin, were also in court, with his partner. The judge suspended the last two years of the sentence on condition that he is of good behaviour and keeps the peace on release.
She said he had come to this jurisdiction with the drugs but it was still unclear "how a person such as yourself became involved in this heinous trade". She accepted there was evidence that there was "elements of duress" involved.
The judge said that cases such as this "unfortunately all too regularly come before the courts" and if it were not for drug couriers, like him, "Ireland may not have the serious drug problem it has".
Garda Jackie Cleary told Karen O'Connor BL, prosecuting, that Mark immediately told gardaí he was carrying pellets of cocaine in his body. He was taken to Beaumont Hospital where he passed 60 pellets, worth of an estimated €41,742.
He told gardaí that he was taken into a forest and threatened with a gun to bring the drugs to Dublin. He had no previous convictions either here or in Estonia and he was genuinely remorseful.
Mr Greene told the judge his client came from a very good family background who would be a very strong support to him upon his release from custody.
He said he was previously of "blameless character" and had been pressured into bringing the drugs to Ireland.