Luiz Diego Mouzinho De Lima jailed for seven years over kids’ books drug smuggling attempt
A Sydney man has been jailed for importing children’s books about princesses, pirates and fairies into Australia with drugs hidden inside the pages as he struggled to fund his cancer treatment.
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A Brazilian student who smuggled cocaine worth more than $600,000 into Australia stashed inside children’s books to pay for his cancer treatment will spend at least four years behind bars.
Luiz Diego Mouzinho De Lima was arrested in Sydney’s east last year and charged with importing illustrated books about princesses, elephants and fairies from Portugal with drugs hidden inside.
The 31-year-old was sentenced at Downing Centre District Court on Thursday to a maximum seven years’ jail for marketable drug importation with a non-parole period of four years.
Appearing via video link from Long Bay prison, Mouzinho De Lima repeatedly exclaimed “wow” while discussing the penalty in Portuguese with his lawyer.
Judge Nicole Noman SC said the Hodgkin's lymphoma sufferer was to be paid $10,000 to receive the drugs in what he now realises was “the worst mistake” of his life.
“He wanted money to return to Brazil and to pay for treatment,” Judge Noman said.
Mouzinho De Lima was first diagnosed with the disease at age 19 and the judge acknowledged how onerous it must be for him to undergo treatment while locked up with no family in the country.
The English and marketing student came to Australia five years ago and despite getting casual work in the construction industry, Mouzinho De Lima ran out of money, the court heard.
The Vaucluse man, who had private health insurance in Australia, then made an “extremely poor judgement call”, Judge Noman said.
Mouzinho De Lima arranged for the drug-laden books to be mailed to his home address under a fictitious name in May 2019, but the packages were intercepted at Sydney Airport.
When Australian Border Force officers x-rayed and inspected the two consignments they found 1.48 kilograms of cocaine concealed in the linings of several bright picture books about pirates, dinosaurs and butterflies.
At the time police said the drug haul had an estimated street value of $645,000.
The court heard Mouzinho De Lima even provided his own identification when trying to pick up the illicit goods from a post office, but claimed the addressee was his flatmate.
“He was readily detectable, this speaks of limited sophistication,” Judge Noman said.
Police raided Mouzinho de Lima’s unit on Old South Head Road on May 10 and he initially denied any knowledge of the drugs, later claiming he feared “very dangerous people who could harm him and his family.”
Police seized a small amount of cannabis from Mouzinho de Lima’s home, and he was issued two cannabis cautions.
In February he pleaded guilty to marketable drug importation, and Judge Noman said the remorseful offender now accepts full responsibility for his crimes.
Mouzinho De Lima, who has no prior convictions, will be eligible for parole in May 2023 with the judge finding he was unlikely to reoffend and has excellent prospects of rehabilitation.
