Two people charged after cocaine valued at €740,000 seized at Dublin airport

Two people have been remanded in custody after airport customs officers intercepted a case containing cocaine valued at €740,000.

Jefferson Pedrucci (32), of Carrigmore Glen, Saggart, Dublin, and Pamela Da Silva (28), of no fixed address, were arrested after their flight landed at Dublin Airport on Thursday evening.

They appeared before Judge Dermot Simms on Saturday at Dublin District Court, which heard that the drugs were partly transported in liquid form in shampoo bottles.

The two accused were charged with unlawfully possessing and importing cocaine and having it for sale or supply. Ms Da Silva faces an additional charge of carrying false immigration documents.

Garda Peter Morrison told Judge Simms that Ms Da Silva made several replies when charged at Ballymun Garda station.

“Those drugs weren’t mine,” she said.

Ms Da Silva was granted legal aid and was remanded in custody to appear before the court again next Friday.

Garda Ross Brierley told the court that Mr Pedrucci made no reply to the charges. He objected to bail due to a potential flight risk and added that Mr Pedrucci could face a sentence of up to 14 years.

He allegedly travelled with a female companion from Sao Paolo via Lisbon and landed at Terminal One in Dublin just after 4.30pm on Thursday.

The woman was stopped by immigration because she had a non-EU passport. The accused, travelling on an EU passport, carried on and waited.

Custom officers X-rayed their suitcases, which contained 8.5kg of cocaine worth €600,000. In addition, there were two bottles of shampoo which were found to contain “cocaine in liquid form” valued at €140,000.

Garda Brierley told defence solicitor Michael French that the drug weights and values were estimations of custom officers from “presumptive testing”. He agreed that the haul had not yet been tested by Forensic Science Ireland.

Judge Simms refused to grant Mr Pedrucci bail and remanded him in custody to appear again on Friday.