Cocaine smuggling syndicate mother has her appeal against her sentence dismissed

A MOTHER who was part of million dollar international cocaine smuggling racket with links to four continents has had an appeal against her sentence dismissed.

A MOTHER who was part of an international cocaine smuggling racket with links to four continents has had an appeal against her sentence dismissed.

Zoe Burns, a former Dutch bar manager, now living in Adelaide, had pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the importation of a marketable quantity of a border controlled drug between September 2009 and January 2010.

The 45-year-old was sentenced to five years and six months’ jail with a non-parole period of two years and nine months over the cocaine operation with links to Peru, Israel, South Africa and Australia.

Her lawyer, Mark Griffin, QC, on Tuesday told the Court of Criminal Appeal that sentence was manifestly excessive as she merely facilitated the operation by providing $3000 in return for a promise of an ounce of the drug.

He said Burns had become embroiled in the operation by the key instigators — her then husband and his brother, both of whom have since died.

During sentencing in June, District Court Judge Paul Cuthbertson said Burns’ brother-in-law, referred to as Yakov, was to be used as the Peruvian contact to import a marketable quantity of “high quality” cocaine from South America.

According to court documents, Yakov had spent jail time for drug running in several countries, including Peru, and was now imprisoned for similar charges in Israel.

Burns knew her husband, Robert Burns, and his brother, John Burns, had been involved with drug running and allowed her computer to be used to facilitate the deal, as well as paying $3000 towards the operation.

The racket was smashed by Peruvian authorities in 2009 when they raided a DHL office where eight white powders of about 2750gm of “highly pure” cocaine was found hidden in a battery testing machine in the country’s capital, Lima.

Prosecutors had alleged the cocaine could have reaped more than $1.375 million dollars if sold in 2009, but this was challenged by defence lawyers during submissions and not fully accepted by the court.

Justice Trish Kelly today refused permission for the appeal ruling Judge Cuthbertson’s sentence was within his scope.