Pregnant mum swallowed 34 heroin pellets, court hears
A judge today criticised a pregnant woman for putting her unborn baby's life at risk by swallowing 34 pellets of heroin in Malaysia before her arrest at Melbourne airport.
County Court Judge Gabriele Cannon told Norazlinda Ramli her decision to act as a drug courier "does you no credit".
The judge said Ramli was desperate for money for her destitute family but she had shown no concern for other people's children who would be using the heroin.
Ramli, 35, was jailed for a minimum 14 months after pleading guilty to importing heroin.
The maximum sentence is 25 years jail and a $550,000 fine.
Judge Cannon said Ramli was due to give birth to a daughter she had already named Grace on July 15 and was anxious to keep her with her in jail but it would be up to the authorities to decide what is in the best interests of the child.
Ramli was 12 weeks' pregnant when she swallowed the pellets of heroin and boarded a Malaysian Airlines flight from Kuala Lumpur to Melbourne on February 12.
She was stopped by Customs officers and later passed the pellets which contained a total of 83.1 grams of pure heroin with an estimated street-level value of $92,200.
Judge Cannon said Ramli claimed she did not know the pellets contained heroin.
Ramli told police she had been approached by a man at her local shopping centre in Malaysia two weeks before the flight and told she would be paid 9000 Malaysian ringgit (worth $2380) if she swallowed 80 pellets and travelled to Australia. She could only manage 34 pellets.
Ramli was taken on two trial runs to Sydney before being given the drugs for the flight to Melbourne.
Judge Cannon said Ramli's motivation had been to try to provide a better life for her family.
Ramli had entered into an arranged marriage at the age of 16 and had had five children. Her three-year-old son died of a lung condition three years ago and her mother died of cancer in 2009.
Her marriage had broken down in 2010 after her husband suffered mental health problems and moved back to his family's village.
Ramli and her children, aged 8, 11, 16 and 19, were forced to live with her stepfather in a three-bedroom apartment.
She was working in a clothing store when she met Abdul Ramen who ran the grocery store next door.
The judge said the couple began a traditional courtship but because she was Muslim and Abdul was Christian, her stepfather opposed their relationship.
Ramli however fell pregnant to Abdul and was desperate for money to help support her family when she agreed to swallow the pellets and travel to Australia.
Judge Cannon said she had decided to reduce Ramli's jail term because of her "exceptional family hardship".