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Drug courier ate 75 cocaine packs | Drug courier ate 75 cocaine packs |
(about 2 hours later) | |
A man who swallowed 75 packets of pure cocaine, has been jailed for trying to smuggle the drugs between Amsterdam and Belfast. | A man who swallowed 75 packets of pure cocaine, has been jailed for trying to smuggle the drugs between Amsterdam and Belfast. |
Johnston Fayiah, 26, who has an address in the Netherlands but a family in Nigeria, was sentenced to four and a half years by Antrim Crown Court. | Johnston Fayiah, 26, who has an address in the Netherlands but a family in Nigeria, was sentenced to four and a half years by Antrim Crown Court. |
Judge Patrick Lynch told Fayiah if the bags had burst he would have ended up as "a corpse rather than a prisoner". | |
The drugs, with an estimated value of £100,000, were discovered in an X-ray. | The drugs, with an estimated value of £100,000, were discovered in an X-ray. |
The judge added that while Fayiah had acted out of his "own personal greed - for narrow financial gain", he was prepared to accept he was a drug courier, rather than a major player. | The judge added that while Fayiah had acted out of his "own personal greed - for narrow financial gain", he was prepared to accept he was a drug courier, rather than a major player. |
Fayiah, with an address at Honzelean, Kemper, was stopped by customs because "he fitted the profile of a potential courier" after coming off an Amsterdam flight at Belfast's International Airport on 5 January, 2008. | Fayiah, with an address at Honzelean, Kemper, was stopped by customs because "he fitted the profile of a potential courier" after coming off an Amsterdam flight at Belfast's International Airport on 5 January, 2008. |
When initially questioned he denied having any drugs, but agreed to have an X-ray, which showed up the 300 grams of the Class A drug contained in the packets. | When initially questioned he denied having any drugs, but agreed to have an X-ray, which showed up the 300 grams of the Class A drug contained in the packets. |
Despite this however, he claimed to know nothing about them, before admitting that he had been approached "by a man called Dan" who'd paid him 500 euro, with the promise of a further 1,000 euro upon his return to Holland. | Despite this however, he claimed to know nothing about them, before admitting that he had been approached "by a man called Dan" who'd paid him 500 euro, with the promise of a further 1,000 euro upon his return to Holland. |
Defence said Fayiah, who has a wife and child in Nigeria, had escaped the west Africian country when he was 17 during a civil war which claimed the lives of his parents. | Defence said Fayiah, who has a wife and child in Nigeria, had escaped the west Africian country when he was 17 during a civil war which claimed the lives of his parents. |
He added that Fayiah agreed to take the drugs because "he was in extreme financial difficulties at the time". | He added that Fayiah agreed to take the drugs because "he was in extreme financial difficulties at the time". |
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