‘Bizarre’ cocaine plot fell apart at airport
Before Jamie Mendez’s flight had even touched down in Christchurch with more than $800,000 worth of cocaine in puffer jackets, Customs officers were suspicious.
The 44-year-old from Phoenix, Arizona, in the United States had recently flown from her hometown to holiday in Africa for 12 days.
For her return trip she would stop over in Singapore before landing at Christchurch International Airport on September 23. She would then fly to Los Angeles before arriving home.
The ‘‘quite bizarre’’ travel pattern raised a red flag with authorities, Customs investigations manager Bruce Berry told The Press yesterday after Mendez was sentenced to six years and nine months’ jail for attempting to smuggle cocaine.
Her suitcase was then searched after New Zealand customs officers noticed inconsistencies on the X-ray screen. Inside the suitcase were five puffer jackets containing 2.5kg of cocaine, with a street value of $875,000.
Berry said Mendez told officers she had bought the jackets from a market in Zimbabwe. The reason for her unusual flight pattern was she wanted to break up the travel with stopovers. Berry called her explanation ‘‘implausible’’.
‘‘This was a fairly basic attempt to smuggle drugs – you look at the red flags that were all over it,’’ Berry said.
‘‘But let’s be clear, her motivation for travelling to New Zealand was to import drugs – and she was motivated by greed.’’
Text messages found on Mendez’s phone showed her negotiating payment for carrying the drugs – she allegedly demanded $15,000.
Berry said extensive investigations were yet to identify the person, believed to be overseas, that she was organising the importation with.
Judge Stephen O’Driscoll earlier said the summary of facts mentioned a ‘‘disturbing’’ video reportedly depicting the murder of Mendez’s sister-in-law. Found on her phone after her arrest, the video suggested ‘‘pressure and coercion’’ from a drug ring to smuggle the cocaine.
Mendez’s lawyer, Pip Hall, QC, said the video had caused significant emotional distress to Mendez and she was now suffering from flashbacks and ‘‘partial symptoms’’ of post-traumatic stress disorder.
He said Mendez, who appeared by audio-visual link and intended to return to the US when she was able, was undertaking trauma counselling and prison courses to reduce her risk of reoffending.
Judge O’Driscoll said Mendez was suffering from a myriad of chronic health issues, which included epileptic seizures, high blood pressure, asthma, back pain and arthritis.
In 2018, Mendez was jailed when she arrived in Paris on a flight from South Africa carrying heroin in her baggage. After spending 13 months in a French prison, she was freed on June 17 last year and sent back to the US.