WILLEMSTAD – The Court of First Instance on Monday heard several drug trafficking cases involving couriers who attempted to smuggle cocaine out of Curaçao via Hato International Airport, highlighting once again the role of the island as a transit point in international drug trafficking routes to Europe.
One of the most striking cases involved a 48-year-old man identified as S.V., who has been undergoing dialysis for the past five years and is on the waiting list for a kidney transplant. According to testimony in court, S.V. attempted to smuggle five kilograms of cocaine in an effort to raise money for a kidney transplant in Colombia.
S.V. was arrested on September 27 last year while preparing to fly to Europe via Brussels. Authorities discovered that he had taped cocaine to his body and was wearing a corset containing nine packages of drugs. In total, five kilograms of cocaine were seized.
The defendant told the court that he had been promised €11,000 for the transport and claimed he needed the money to purchase a kidney in Colombia, after finding information about such procedures online. He stated that he undergoes dialysis three times a week and has been on a transplant waiting list in the Netherlands for four years.
The presiding judge described the situation as contradictory, noting that someone suffering from a serious illness was willing to transport drugs that could harm others. The Public Prosecutor’s Office requested a sentence of 36 months in prison, six of which would be suspended. The court postponed the case until May 4 to determine whether detention would be medically responsible.
Additional courier cases
During the same session, the court also handled two other cocaine smuggling cases involving passengers departing from Hato Airport.
In the second case, a 52-year-old woman, Mirenli M., was arrested on October 11 last year with nearly six kilograms of cocaine while attempting to fly to Brussels. She told the court that she acted out of financial desperation and wanted to provide a better life for her family. She also admitted to having been arrested for a similar offense more than twenty years ago.
The court sentenced her to 24 months in prison, eight months of which were suspended. The ruling also included supervision by probation services and, if deemed necessary, treatment at the Capriles Clinic.
The third case involved a 21-year-old woman, identified as R.L., who was arrested on October 18, 2025, after nearly three kilograms of cocaine were found hidden in her bra. She told the court she needed money to pay for school, courses, household expenses and outstanding debts.
Investigators revealed that R.L. had already traveled at least six times in 2025, including trips to Brazil. The Public Prosecutor requested a sentence of 24 months, half of which would be suspended. The court ultimately imposed an 18-month sentence, with nine months suspended.
In all three cases, the cocaine was intended to be transported via Brussels to other destinations in Europe. The court emphasized that personal hardship or financial difficulties do not justify drug trafficking and stressed that such crimes cause serious harm to individuals and society at large.