Mule had £45k worth of drugs in stomach

A DRUGS mule who tried to smuggle £45,000 worth of cocaine and heroin in her stomach through Belfast airport has been jailed.

Salmato Djalo, from Guinea Bissau in west Africa, will now serve three years in prison after she was sentenced at Antrim Crown Court yesterday, having pleaded guilty to charges of drug smuggling at a previous hearing on October 16.

The 31-year-old was stopped by Border Force officers after arriving at Belfast International Airport on a flight from Portugal in September 2011.

After questioning, officers soon became suspicious of her reasons for travelling to Northern Ireland and she was arrested.

Djalo was then taken to Antrim Area Hospital where an x- ray showed she had several packages concealed in her stomach.

Following the examination, officers found a total of 30 packages of both heroin and cocaine, totally 300g — with an estimated street value of £45,000.

She was given a three year and separate three month sentence to run concurrently, and must serve a minimum of 19 months with the remainder on licence.

John Spence of Border Force said: “This drugs seizure shows the robust controls we have in place at our ports and airports to safeguard the UK and keep drugs off the streets of our towns and cities.”

UUP Justice spokesman Tom Elliott welcomed the successful prosecution but said the three year sentence was “not enough”.