A British couple trembles in the dock of the Korneuburg regional court (Lower Austria). They tried to smuggle kilos of cannabis from Thailand to Amsterdam – with a stopover in Vienna. “I wanted to use this money for my tuition fees,” says the 29-year-old. The sentences against him and his girlfriend were mild.
A young British couple sits hand in hand in the dock of the regional court of Korneuburg (Lower Austria). The 29-year-old has to hold back tears. He has been in custody in Austria since July 21 – on that day his suitcase containing a total of 33 kilos of cannabis was discovered at Vienna-Schwechat Airport.
10,000 euros for drug smuggling
“I met a man in a pub in London,” he says. He offered him 10,000 euros to smuggle drugs from Thailand to Amsterdam – the actual destination of the drug. Vienna was just a fatal stopover…
“These are not the classic drug smugglers”
He never received the money. On the contrary, he is now sitting before a jury with his girlfriend – she was also in Thailand. You risk 15 years in prison. “These are not the classic drug smugglers,” says lawyer Dominik Wild, referring to his client (24), a customer service consultant who only paid for the plane ticket for her lover, and the older business student.
“I wanted to use this money for my tuition fees,” explains the 29-year-old, defended by lawyer Alexander Prenner. The four years at a British university cost him 100,000 euros. This makes him precisely the target of those behind such drug smuggling, Prenner notes: “These are mainly students who are promised that they will check a suitcase and get a lot of money for it. Young people are shamelessly exploited.”
Like the British couple, others were recruited according to the same modus operandi. “The result is that quite a few people have shown up lately. People used to have a few packets of cannabis among their dirty laundry. But now the whole suitcase is full. I assume that there will be twenty to thirty cases this summer,” said the chairman.
Partial imprisonment and minimum sentence
And that’s exactly why: “General prevention is the most important point here. “That is why the defendant is not going home today,” said Ms Rat, explaining the jury’s verdict. The 29-year-old was given a 30-month partial prison sentence. “There are plenty of people in need who are not committing crimes.” He actually has to go to prison for six months – he has already been in pre-trial detention for three and a half years. His girlfriend is released with a prison sentence of at least one year. Their contribution to the crime was very small.
Moving scene in the interrogation room
After the verdict was pronounced, tears flowed: the young couple fell into each other’s arms in relief – for the first time since the student’s arrest. That also seems to affect the prison guard, who gives the two an extra minute to say goodbye before the 29-year-old is taken back to prison. He can now request release after three-quarters of his sentence. He will probably be back in England for Christmas.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
