45-year-old Marizel Parlaza Penagos has been sentenced, by Jersey's Royal Court, to 5.5 years for her part in a major drug smuggling operation.
The Colombian international was arrested at a St Saviour hotel after making a 14,000km trip to Jersey in 2024.
Penagos had travelled from Bogota, in Colombia, into central Brazil, where she caught a flight from Manaus to Sao Paulo, then over to Heathrow, before finally arriving in Jersey on 25 June 2024.
Jersey Customs and Immigration Service (JICS) found £17,000 in US Dollars, Euros and Great British Pounds hidden around the room she was staying in.
JICS discovered heroin and cocaine built into her suitcase and handbag, and that the money she had stashed in her hotel room was the payment for the drugs, which would have been sent to Spain before she returned to Colombia.
Her arrest was part of a major investigation by the force and is the first time the service encountered drug smugglers travelling directly from South America to Jersey.
Senior Manager, Luke Goddard, says this is a very significant investigation for JCIS.
"We have severely disrupted an international drug trafficking syndicate from operating in the island, and I commend all the officers who were involved in this lengthy operation.
"JCIS will continue to target syndicates who move controlled drugs and illicit cash across our borders."
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