A Netflix reality star has avoided jail-time after being caught smuggling £150,000 worth of drugs into the UK.
Influencer Olga Bednarska, who is known for her appearance on season three of the streaming site's popular reality series Too Hot To Handle, has been handed a suspended sentence after admitting to fraudulent evasion of a prohibition on the importation of a class B drug.
Bednarska claimed that she had been given the bags by a friend who she identified as Tex, adding that he allegedly paid for her flights home as he wanted her to bring back some 'designer clothes and watches' from Phuket, Thailand.
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Upon arrival into Manchester Airport back in October this year, the influencer was stopped by customs officials who were suspicious of her travel arrangements.
A report from Manchester Evening News added that Bednarska initially claimed that she had packed the bag herself, however, further investigation from customs officials would reveal she had nearly 40 kilos of cannabis packed throughout her clothes.
"She [Bednarska] was then asked who paid for her flights and she said her friend named ‘Tex’. She said they wanted her to bring back designer clothes and watches," prosecutor Samuel Eskdale told the court.
"The officers asked her to unlock the suitcases, but she could not provide the code to do so. She then confirmed she had been given the suitcases at the airport."
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The total value of the class B drug discovered in the suitcases amounted to £157,600.
The court heard that Bednarska, who had been held in police custody since her arrest last month and has no prior convictions, had accumulated around £16,000 in debts in the past couple of years after having 'lived beyond' her means and had since resorted to 'desperate but highly unlawful' measures to pay the debts off.
"Via a friend of a friend, you agreed to import designer goods from Thailand. You agreed to go and do this and return 10 days later. Your expenses were to be paid by others, and you were to be paid £18,000," Judge John Potter explained to the court.
It is also understood that Bednarska was given 'spending money' to purchase the suitcases while abroad.
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"You decided to place your trust in someone you hardly knew. You were acting under the direction of others, potentially for further profit," Judge Potter told the influencer.
He continued: "I am sure you can imagine the harm that wholesale value drugs have on our communities when they are sold for profit. You have directly contributed to this by agreeing to do what you did."
Bednarska was handed a 20-month sentence, suspended for two years, and asked by the court to complete 15 days of rehabilitation activity requirements.
Brenna Cooper