Two women who helped to import the largest amount of heroin seized in the State have been given three-year suspended sentences at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
The court was told the women were used as "window-dressing" to disguise the importation, which was for a Manchester-based west Dublin criminal, but they were unaware of how much heroin was involved.
Cheryl Hume (20), of Copster Place, Oldham, Manchester, and Joanna Schofield, Glenhurst Crescent, Oldham, pleaded guilty to importing 18.5 kg of heroin into Dun Laoghaire on October 31st, 1998.
Neither had any previous convictions.
Two men who accompanied the women, Gary Blake (31), Copster Place, and Robert Russell (33), of Glenhurst Crescent, both Oldham, Manchester, were each jailed for six years earlier this year.
Mr Fergal Foley, prosecuting, said Russell and Blake had imported about £30 million worth of heroin in the nine months before all four were arrested at the Royal Marine Hotel, Dun Laoghaire, on October 31st, 1998.
Det Sgt Greg Sheehan told Mr Foley that Blake and Russell hid the heroin in the door panels of two hired cars and then persuaded Hume and Schofield to act as "camouflage" on their ferry trip to Dun Laoghaire.
Blake and Russell had run into financial difficulties and they were paid £2,500 each for every load of heroin they imported into Dublin.
The four made a full confession and Blake and Russell admitted they had smuggled nine loads of heroin into Dublin from February 1998 until their arrests.
Mr Brendan Grogan SC said Schofield had a daughter with Russell and was concerned about the effect the case was having on her child. He added that a probation report on her was "as positive as one could imagine".
Ms Marie-Torrens, representing Hume, said she worked for an insurance company in Manchester and added that she had complied with all conditions placed upon her by the English probation services.
Judge Michael White told Hume and Schofield that he did not have to set out for them the seriousness of the offences they had committed.
He said the case "marked absolutely no credit" for either of them and added that he was impressed by probation and welfare service reports and by the very fair evidence of Det Sgt Sheehan.
Judge White ordered the confiscation of £640 seized from Russell at the time of his arrest.