Mapulana Monnakgolta (38) who currently resides at a hostel in North Brunswick Street, Dublin, leaves the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court today where she received a three and a half year suspended sentence for the importation of controlled drugs between February 9 and 20, 2015. Pic: Collins Courts.

A woman who accepted delivery of two packages of cannabis resin worth over €100,000 has escaped a jail term after receiving a suspended sentence.

Mapulana Monnakgolta (38) later told gardaí she expected to find clothes and shoes in the package.

Expand Close Mapulana Monnakgolta (38) who currently resides at a hostel in North Brunswick Street, Dublin, leaves the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court today where she received a three and a half year suspended sentence for the importation of controlled drugs between February 9 and 20, 2015. Pic: Collins Courts. Collins Courts. / Facebook

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Whatsapp Mapulana Monnakgolta (38) who currently resides at a hostel in North Brunswick Street, Dublin, leaves the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court today where she received a three and a half year suspended sentence for the importation of controlled drugs between February 9 and 20, 2015. Pic: Collins Courts.

In sentencing, Judge Melanie Greally said the fact the defendant had no previous convictions, made a guilty plea, did not come to subsequent garda attention and co-operated fully were all favourable factors in this case.

The defendant, who is currently residing at a hostel in North Brunswick Street, Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to importation of controlled drugs between February 9 and 20, 2015.

She was arrested after she accepted the package from gardaí who were posing as delivery men.

The parcels, which contained a total of 5.8 kilogrammes of cannabis resin, worth an estimated €116,700, had earlier been intercepted by custom officers on arrival into Ireland.

At a hearing in November, Garda Killian Duffy told Anne-Marie Lawlor BL, prosecuting, that Monnakgotla admitted to gardaí during interview that she was the intended recipient.

However she claimed she didn't know the package contained cannabis and believed it was clothes and shoes.

She told gardaí she was to be paid €500 per parcel by unidentified persons.

Gda Duffy agreed with Ms Lawlor that the information Monnakgotla gave to gardaí was “somewhat confused”.

Judge Melanie Greally sentenced the defendant to three and a half years, fully suspended for that time, and instructed that she attend her scheduled psychiatric appointments and take her medication as directed.

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