01-05-2025
Columbian woman jailed at Jersey's Royal Court for importing drugs from South America
A Columbian woman has been sentenced at Jersey 's Royal Court to five and half years in prison for the importation of cocaine and heroin and attempting to export the proceeds.
Marizel Perlaza Penagos was arrested in a hotel in St Saviour on 30 June 2024 - five days after arriving into Jersey from South America.
She was found to be in possession of £17,000 worth of cash in different currencies - concealed in various areas of her room.
Senior Manager at Jersey Customs & Immigration Service (JCIS), Luke Goddard said: 'This is a very significant investigation for JCIS, as it is the first time we have encountered drugs couriers travelling directly from South America to Jersey.
'We have severely disrupted an international drug trafficking syndicate from operating in the island. JCIS will continue to target syndicates who move controlled drugs and illicit cash across our borders.'
Following an investigation it was discovered that while Perlaza Penagos had been travelling through South America she had been provided with a suitcase and a handbag.
Both had built-in concealments of cocaine and heroin which she then brought to Jersey.
The JCIS were able to put together Perlaza Penagos' full journey which showed she travelled from Bogota, in Colombia, into central Brazil where she caught a flight from Manus to Sao Paulo. She then caught a connecting flight to Heathrow and arrived in Jersey on 25 June 2024.
The money found in the hotel room was payment for the drugs and would have been exported to Spain, before Perlaza Penagos' return to Columbia.
An investigation in relation to other individuals involved with the importation is continuing.
