A Brazilian national has been jailed in Germany for attempting to smuggle six kilos of cocaine into Scotland.
The 22-year-old woman was sentenced to three years and 10 months in prison at Frankfurt am Main District Court on Monday.
She is reported to have flown to Germany in July this year with the drug pressed into tablets in her luggage. Cocaine was also found hidden within gymnastic belts and sewn into pillows and bedding.
The woman was intercepted by police at Frankfurt Airport as she attempted to travel to Scotland, reports in Germany confirmed.
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The woman revealed that she had attempted to smuggle the drug haul, which had a street value of approximately £181,000, to Scotland after being promised €5,000 from those who hired her.
She also confessed to the German court that she wanted to use the money to set up her own nail salon.
While drug trafficking in Germany can attract a maximum prison sentence of 15 years, the 22-year-old’s sentence was ‘significantly reduced’ after she assisted authorities with the investigation, as part of Germany’s leniency programme.
The drug courier’s testimony allowed police to arrest a drug dealer in the UK, reports in Germany said.
Her arrest mirrors that of a 33-year-old Irishman apprehended at Zurich Airport after police discovered 15 kilos of cocaine in his luggage. The Irish national had flown to the Swiss capital from Sao Paolo with the intention of continuing his journey to Dublin.
Brazil has become one of the top suppliers of cocaine to Europe in recent years, turning into a critical launchpad from South America.
Back in July this year, Brazilian Federal Police confirmed that they dismantled a criminal group that bribed airport employees to ship cocaine to Europe on commercial flights concealed in the bulk cargo compartment from the largest airport in Latin America, São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport, to Frankfurt, Lisbon and Amsterdam.
During the investigation, authorities seized nearly 900 kilos of cocaine at all four locations.
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