South African caught with €130,000 worth of herbal cannabis jailed

A South African mother-of-eight who acted as a drugs mule to bring over €130,000 worth of herbal cannabis into Cork was sentenced to 10 years today with the last four years suspended.

Fidress Nomsa Kumalo, aged 36, from Lawn Street, Rosetteville, Johannesburg, South Africa, said today that she did what she did to support her eight biological children, one grand child and her deceased brother’s three sons.

“I am guilty, bottom line is I am guilty. I would really like to apologise to your honour (Judge Con Murphy) and the State of Ireland as a whole. I was under a lot of financial pressure.

Detective Sergeant Jason Lynch said the defendant had been given a number to telephone when she got to Ireland and she had no idea who would be at the other end.

The detective agreed that the defendant was a drugs mule being used by others to bring €136,000 worth of drugs into Ireland.

Defence senior counsel, Blaise O’Carroll, said that for the defendant to be caught in Ireland must be extraordinarily difficult for her.

Kumalo entered a signed plea of guilty to charges of being in possession and being in possession for sale or supply of 14 kilos of cannabis herb at Cork Airport on July 13 and a third charge of having the drugs when their street value exceeded €13,000.

Judge Murphy said, “This lady was caught by the Customs and Excise with a locked suitcase. She was a mule – the lowest grade of courier. She is not addicted, she did it for reward, she has shown remorse for her actions… Without people to act as mules the drugs problem would not be as serious as it is.”

€13,000 is the threshold figure which brings the case into the category of mandatory sentencing on conviction, where the minimum is ten years and up to life imprisonment. The minimum period can be reduced where the sentencing judge finds that there are exceptional circumstances.