DRUG MULE GUILTY OF SMUGGLING POUNDS 400,000 COCAINE

A South African national was caught with up to pounds 400,000 worth of
cocaine when one of the bulk-size peach tins in which it was concealed
burst at Dublin airport.

Johannes Coutzee (38), married, from Johannesburg, yesterday pleaded
guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of cocaine for
sale and supply valued at pounds 10,000 or more and to the unlawful
importation of the drug at Dublin Airport on November 7, 1999.

This is the second case under Section 15a of The Criminal Justice Act,
1999, which allows the court to impose a life sentence or a mandatory
10-years for the possession of drugs with intent to supply valued in
excess of pounds 10,000.

Judge Elizabeth Dunne adjourned sentence to February 22
next.

Garda David Donnelly said immigration officers stopped Coutzee at the
airport when they noticed liquid leaking from his bag.

Two bulk-size tins of peaches were found in the bag containing three
large packets of cocaine sealed in sellotape.

A bottle of whiskey and food items were also uncovered.

The drugs weighed in at 3kg with a street value of from pounds 240,000
to pounds 400,000 due to the cocaine having a high concentration level
of 70pc.

Gda Donnelly told prosecuting counsel Robert Barron BL, the `main man'
in the operation, who was based in England at the time, organised
Coutzee to meet another man at a Dublin hotel to hand over the drugs.

Coutzee and his wife were first approached at a bar in Johannesburg
regarding the assignment. He was then flown to Dublin from
Johannesburg with a promise of a job.

He met another man in Dublin and then flew on to South America to
collect the packages for a fee of pounds 1,000.

Gda Donnelly agreed with defence counsel Peter Finlay SC that Coutzee
was used as a `mule' to ferry the drugs from one place to another.

He was not a major player in the operation and didn't have a criminal
record either here or in South Africa. He said his client wanted to
move to Ireland with his wife and two children. He described him as
naive. Mr Finlay submitted the power to recommend The Immigration Act,
1999 was open to the court which involved a deportation order of a
non-national in this case.

He said this order was in fact a heavier sanction as his client would
not be able to enter Ireland or Europe again.