18 MONTHS FOR WOMAN WHO IMPORTED CANNABIS

A woman who imported IEP24,000 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 IEP1,000 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.

Garda[ac]i believed it was destined for foreign nationals living in
Ireland. 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.