Woman arrested at airport with 2kg of cocaine jailed for 11 years, pleads guilty to avoid jury trial

A woman has been sentenced to 11 years in prison and fined €25,000 after she pleaded guilty to trafficking over 2kg of cocaine to avoid a trial by jury and possible life sentence.

Before madam justice Consuelo Scerri Herrera yesterday, Caracao-born Dutch passport-holder Anuschka Arlette Halman, 46, admitted to charges of drug trafficking and aggravated possession of cocaine.

Halman had been arrested at the airport upon her arrival on a flight from Brussels on 22 November, 2021, when a search by the police Drugs Squad discovered the drugs in packages which had been taped to her abdomen.

She admitted to conspiracy to traffic the drugs, importing them and aggravated possession in circumstances denoting they were not intended for her personal consumption.

A representative from the Corradino Correctional Facility confirmed that during her stay in prison, 21 drug tests had been carried out and none had been positive, bar four which were the result of medication.

A court-appointed probation officer testified to the woman’s difficult upbringing and subsequent social problems.

While under arrest, the woman had become very ill and was hospitalised, where she was diagnosed with a large number of serious chronic and acute medical conditions, some of which persist to date.

The drugs were found to be 44% cocaine cut with a veterinary dewormer medication and were valued at over €130,000.

Finding Halman guilty upon her own admission, the court sentecned the woman to an 11-year jail term and a €25,000 fine, which would be converted into an additional 12 months in prison if not paid.

Lawyers Arthur Azzopardi and Jacob Magri were defence counsel.