Woman handed seven-year prison term for attempting to import cannabis

A 32-year-old Spanish woman has been sentenced to seven years in prison and fined €15,000 after admitting her attempt to smuggle nearly 13 kilos of cannabis grass into Malta.

Marta Martín Dañobeitia was apprehended by police at Malta International Airport and entered a guilty plea in court in July 2025.

The incident dates back to October 2020 when Dañobeitia and her partner, Juan José Fernández López, were stopped during a routine passenger screening after arriving on a flight from Seville. X-ray scans of their luggage revealed 13 plastic bags containing suspected illegal substances.

In court, it was revealed that the convicted woman was carrying seven plastic bags containing 6.89 kilograms of cannabis grass, while López had 5.94 kilograms in his possession. A court expert estimated the combined weight of 12.83 kilograms to have a street value of €243,770. 
The couple was subsequently charged with conspiring to traffic cannabis, importing the substance, and possessing it in amounts that indicated it was not intended for personal use. In addition, the man faced separate charges of possession of cocaine. His case remains pending.

The prosecution and defence jointly submitted a request to the court, recommending a sentence of seven years’ imprisonment and a €15,000 fine if she admitted to the charges. She later pleaded guilty, and the court was asked to consider her cooperation with investigators and her early admission.

She was sentenced to seven years in prison and fined €15,000. She was also ordered to pay €2,070.87 in court-related expenses. The court ordered the confiscation of her assets but withheld the destruction of the cannabis grass as it is still required in the ongoing proceedings against López.

The case was heard before Madam Justice Natasha Galea Sciberras.