Man smuggled cocaine in underwear and stomach

A drug mule was jailed for eight years and fined €4,500 after admitting to importing almost half a kilogramme of cocaine in his stomach and in his underwear.

Rachyd Curiel, 23, from Curacao, arrived on a flight from Amsterdam carrying the drugs in 2008 but was caught thanks to alert Customs officers at the airport who noticed he was acting suspiciously, Mr Justice Michael Mallia heard.

Mr Curiel had told the police he was meant to receive €1,500 for his involvement in the operation and had planned to meet a certain person named Mike at the airport upon his arrival on October 19. However, this plan was foiled by the Customs officers who found 11 capsules in his underwear and a further 32 capsules inside his stomach, a total of 421.71 grams of the drug having a purity of 46 per cent. According to the prosecution, the drugs were worth anything between €28,250 and €44,195.

Mr Curiel admitted to conspiring to traffic the drug, importing it and possession of the drug in circumstances denoting it was not for his exclusive use.