Sonya McLean
A Brazilian man who was one of three who flew into Ireland trafficking drugs from their native country has been jailed for 18 months.
Breno Oliveria (24) ingested 30 pellets of cocaine in Sao Paulo after he attended a meeting on the understanding that he was getting a work permit to allow him to work in construction in Ireland. He was from a rural area of Brazil and his intention was to go to Ireland to get work, so he could send much-needed funds home.
Garda Andrew McDonald told Katherine McGillicuddy BL, prosecuting, that unbeknownst to Oliveria he was on the same flight into Dublin as two other Brazilians who had also met with the same gang and forced to transport the cocaine.
Suspicious
The flight had stopped over in Lisbon before continuing onto Dublin and the Portuguese officials were suspicious of their behaviour and had alerted the Irish authorities. On arrival into Dublin all three were refused admission to the State.
Oliveria pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to having the drugs worth €20,804 for sale or supply at Dublin Airport on September 20th, 2020. He has no previous convictions.
Gda McDonald said Oliveria told gardaí in interview that he didn’t want to ingest the drugs, but he was threatened and told he would be abandoned in Sao Paulo if he didn’t agree to getting involved. He was also concerned for his family’s safety.
Conor Devally SC, defending, told Judge Nolan said his client “made the wrong decision under pressure”.
He said Oliveria had been playing football just below professional level in Brazil.
Judge Martin Nolan said that Oliveria was impoverished and desperate for money.
“The court deals with drug trafficking often and many times the court is trying to sentence desperate people, as in this case,” Judge Nolan said.
He accepted that Oliveria had no previous convictions and while he is doing well in custody, he acknowledged it must be difficult for him as he has little or no English. He sentenced him to 18 months in prison which he backdated to his remand in custody last September.
Others involved
Previously Raynessa De Sousa (27) pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to having the drugs, worth an estimated €55,447, for sale or supply at Dublin Airport on September 20th, 2020.
De Sousa explained, with the assistance of an interpreter, that she had been promised €1,200 to bring the drugs into the country by swallowing the pellets. She said when it came to the point of actually ingesting the pellets, she changed her mind, but she was threatened by others and forced to swallow them.
She told gardaí that she was a mother of a 12-year-old son and her own mother was caring for him. De Sousa described it as the “worst mistake of my life”.
Ricardo Da Silva (28) who was caught hiding over €80,000 of cocaine in his underwear was jailed for three years last March.
He told gardaí he was “lured” into accepting an offer for a job that did not exist and then told he had to clear a debt by importing drugs into Europe. He was instructed to ingest the drugs, but instead sellotaped 120 pellets of cocaine to his underwear.
Da Silva of Teresina Piazia, Brazil, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of cocaine for sale or supply at Terminal 1, Dublin Airport, on September 20th, 2020. He has no previous convictions.
