A Brazilian woman working as a drug courier on a bicycle in Dublin was “almost relieved” when she was apprehended by Gardaí, a court has heard.
Lais Pereira Da Costa (24) pleaded guilty at Dublin District Court to possession of drugs for sale or supply after being stopped with a haul of cocaine, cannabis, LSD, ketamine, and ecstasy.
The court was told that Gardaí on patrol in Inchicore on June 22nd spotted Da Costa cycling while following directions on her phone. After signalling her to stop, officers detected a strong smell of cannabis. A search of her backpack uncovered drugs with an estimated street value of €1,350.
Da Costa was arrested and a subsequent search of her home address in Cabra uncovered a further €4,100 worth of drugs and €5,950 in cash, bringing the total drug value to over €5,500.
Her defence solicitor, Paddy McGarry, stated that Da Costa had come to Ireland for a better life but found herself in financial difficulty with little English. He said she had begun delivering drugs “to survive” and was acting under the command of dealers “higher up the chain.” Mr. McGarry added that his client had been “almost happy and relieved to be caught so she could get herself out of this,” describing her role as that of a “gilly” who did not profit significantly.
This case follows a pattern of other Brazilian nationals being involved in lower-tier roles within the Irish drug trade. In 2022, Diego Costa was sentenced to five and a half years for his part in a sophisticated cocaine packaging operation in Sallins, Co. Kildare. Similarly, in 2020, Wesley Gomes received a two-year sentence for his role as a “custodian” of a cannabis grow-house in Clonee, Dublin.
Accepting jurisdiction and a guilty plea, Judge Gerard Jones handed Da Costa a four-month suspended sentence.
