A woman who secreted almost 100 pellets of cocaine inside and outside her body inadvertently showed Border Force officers pictures of the drug on her phone.

Larissa Lins, 27, had been stopped at Manchester Airport after flying from Brazil. She claimed she had come to the UK to ‘research nice places’ having flown through France and Portugal previously.

Denying she had brought anything illegal into the country, she showed officers pictures of her time in France. However, as they scrolled, they came across a picture of the ‘white pellets’ and further searches revealed that Lins had ingested, secreted and concealed a kilo of the drug both internally and externally.

After pleading guilty to being concerned in the fraudulent evasion of a prohibition on the importation of a class A drug, yesterday (October 17) she was jailed and told she will ‘almost inevitably’ be deported back to Brazil after serving 40 percent of her sentence.

Prosecuting, David Toal said that on August 24 this year, Lins had flown from Sao Paulo to Manchester via France and Portugal, with just a small pink cabin bag.

She was spoken to by Border Force officers via a Portuguese interpreter, stating this was her first visit to the country. She added that she came to the UK to ‘walk around and research nice places’.

Lins claimed she had packed her suitcase herself and insisted that she had not brought anything illegal into the UK.

“She volunteered her phone to show officers images she had taken in France, and whilst looking through officers saw images of white pellets, which were believed to be cocaine,” Mr Toal said.

“The defendant was arrested, and she told officers she had pellets of cocaine inserted inside her body since the previous day. She was taken to Wythenshawe Hospital where, at various stages, she passed all of the internal pellets.”

Officers conducted a further search of Lins and found additional pellets hidden within the lining of her bra. In total 99 pellets were seized weighing a total of 1.1 kilos with packaging, and 923 grams without.

The wholesale price for that amount of class A drug was estimated at around £30,000, while its street value was approximately £72,000 according to court reports.

Lins admitted during an interview that she swallowed 100 pellets before flying to France and spent three days passing them before returning them to another person.

The day before flying to Manchester, she confessed to swallowing ten more pellets and inserting additional ones internally while her ‘cousin’ placed some more inside her bra. She stated that she would have received about £1,400 in Brazilian real for this task. It was noted that Lins had no previous convictions in either the UK or Brazil.

Laura Broome, mitigating for Lins, described her client as being in a ‘state of sheer desperation’.

“That desperation was exploited,” Ms Broome stated. “She tells me she was instructed how to swallow, conceal and insert the pellets. Had any burst open inside her body, it could have been fatal.”

The sentencing judge Patrick Field KC remarked that Lins took significant risks with both her safety and liberty which highlighted her state of mind during these events.

“It almost demonstrates little regard those above you had for your safety,” Ms Broome concurred.

She emphasized that Lins is a mother of four young children who is genuinely remorseful and desperate to return home. Ms Broome added that Lins had been coerced into this situation through intimidation and control by others involved in trafficking operations.

“Once realizing how serious things were becoming for her situation,” Ms Broome explained further “she attempted to withdraw but felt compelled not to continue.”

Lins has no fixed abode; consequently; Judge Field KC sentenced her to three years imprisonment.
“This sort of crime is regarded very seriously in these courts,” he told an emotional Lins who wept throughout proceedings.
“There is no doubt you were recruited by organized criminals who are far more sophisticated than you are; they showed utter disregard for your well-being.”