Two Victoria women have been sentenced to jail in the UK for attempting to smuggle 72 kilos of cannabis into the country.
Alisha Tworuschka, a mother of two, and Jacqueline Desorcy were arrested at Manchester Airport on May 10th while trying to import the substantial drug shipment.
The women had flown from Canada to Manchester with suitcases packed with cannabis, reportedly in exchange for promised free holidays.
According to The Mirror, a UK based news outlet, their plan unraveled when Tworuschka left her luggage, filled with drugs, with Desorcy as she navigated through customs.
She returned after an announcement was made over the terminal’s PA system, which led to their arrest.
The pair, upon landing, were noticed by Border Force officers who discovered four large suitcases packed with 72 kilos of cannabis.
Both Tworuschka and Desorcy were sentenced to one year and ten months in prison for their involvement in the smuggling operation after they both pleaded guilty to the fraudulent evasion of a prohibition on the importation of cannabis.
“What you did was to agree to fly almost halfway around the globe from your homes in British Colombia to Manchester, via Toronto, in order to carry a total of 72 kilos of cannabis,” said Judge Patrick Field KC, according to Manchester Evening News.
“You are each intelligent and hard working young women with stable homes and loving families in Canada. Your agreement to act as drug couriers amounts in both of your cases as a monumental error of judgement. That may well have been made through vulnerability or naivety on your part.”
“It may well be that the enticement of a free holiday in the UK swung the balance.”
Desorcy’s lawyer said his client, a massage therapist who started her own business, suffered a “traumatic event” that led to mental health struggles.
He mentioned that Desorcy initially had “cold feet” but felt pressured after being warned that “these guys are scary” and “you don’t want to back out.”
Tworuschka’s lawyer described his client’s actions as “completely out of character.”
