A 35-year-old woman was sentenced to 15 years in prison after being convicted in April for smuggling 35kg of cannabis in her luggage at Larnaca airport, police said on Monday.

The 35-year-old American was found guilty of possessing and smuggling drugs with intent to supply.

She travelled to Larnaca airport from Barcelona on April 4, carrying two large suitcases. Subsequent checks by the customs department and the drug squad revealed 61 packages containing a total of 35kg of dried cannabis plant.

The woman confessed that she had been recruited through an application on a social media platform. 

“I was going to travel from the US to France, when unknown persons offered to pay for my vacation and give me €1.000 to transport two suitcases to Cyprus,” she said.

She stated that she was usure of the recipient’s identity and that she would have received instructions on how to deliver the suitcases, following her arrival on the island.

The Larnaca criminal court pointed out the frequency with which serious drug cases were being uncovered and the importance of imposing deterrent sentences.