Kertania Odususi broke down in court while on trial over a massive consignment of cannabis discovered in suitcases she was carrying after landing at Edinburgh Airport
A student has told of the moment her “heart literally dropped” as she realised she’d be arrested after Border Force officials tore open her luggage at an airport.
Kertania Odususi, 24, flew into Edinburgh Airport from Thailand carrying two suitcases in March last year, both of which were stuffed with a massive consignment of cannabis. Odusisi, from Croydon, London, claimed she was returning from a free holiday she was offered in return for bringing back a large quantity of tobacco, and that she had no knowledge of the illegal haul.
But she said her “heart literally dropped” as Border Force officials opened the luggage, believing her life was “over” and that she was “going to be arrested”.
Edinburgh Live reports Border Force officers used bolt cutters to open the cases, inside which they discovered 40 vacuum sealed packages which together contained around 20 kilograms of cannabis. She was arrested and charged, and has been on trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.
She was accused of being knowingly concerned in the fraudulent evasion of a controlled drug and drug supply, with the trial told that Odususi flew from Thailand to Doha, and took a Qatar Airways flight to Edinburgh on March 16 last year. She was stopped by customs officials after passing through passport control.
They were forced to tear open the cases after Odususi, a Criminology student at London Metropolitan University, said that, despite having packed the suitcases herself, she had no key to open them.
When she was asked for her reaction after seeing what she had been transporting, she said she “panicked” as she realised she would be arrested.
She said: “My heart literally dropped in that moment, I panicked as I knew I was going to be arrested. I was like, my life is over when I saw the suitcases open. When they opened it I realised the grave mistake I had made.”
The court heard police concluded the 20kg of cannabis had a street value of £200,000, with Odusisi saying she was put in touch with a man who arranged the flights and suitcase exchange.
She added she was instructed to meet two men after landing at Edinburgh Airport, to whom she was meant to hand over the luggage. She broke down several times in the witness box and told the jury she had been “naive” and “stupid” for agreeing to the venture.
But she denied having any knowledge of the drugs stash. Jurors took around 60 minutes to return majority not proven verdicts on both charges and Odususi walked free from the dock on Wednesday.