Long jail term for cocaine courier
File image. © Andrew Bardwell
A drug courier involved in a cocaine importation scheme worth up to $3.5 million was jailed for four years seven months today.Thiago August De Oliviera, a 31-year-old factory hand, was sentenced in the Christchurch District Court on a charge of possession for supply of the class A drug.
Defence counsel Lorraine Smith said De Oliviera borrowed money from the bank to do a skydiving course in Italy. When he returned to New Zealand he went into business as a tiler but it was unsuccessful and he got into debt.
He was given $1000 to fly to Auckland to pick up the cocaine and bring it back to Christchurch in two suitcases.
Judge Jane Farish said De Oliviera was one of five people involved in the importation of the cocaine, worth between $705,000 and $3.5 million, into New Zealand on March 7.
He couriered the cocaine to Christchurch in two suitcases, but did not know he was under surveillance by the police. He was arrested after he dropped the drug off to a co-offender in a supermarket car park.
Judge Farish said De Oliviera was a first offender, but a pre-sentence report written by the probation service had recommended a home detention sentence, which was unrealistic and had given him false hope.
She said De Oliviera’s poor judgment call came at a time when he was not thinking straight, and he thought it would solve his debt problem.
It was out of character, and there was no risk of him re-offending. He did not use drugs, and was a positive member of the community, she said.
De Oliviera was a permanent resident, and was genuinely remorseful for the harm he could have caused to the community.
She said a co-offender, Joao Batista Da Silveira, 39, was jailed for six years in Auckland.
The other three co-offenders pleaded not guilty and will be appearing in a case management hearing in Manukau next month.
Category: News
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