Dutch Olympic sprinter jailed in drug-smuggling case
Madiea Ghafoor imported around 50kg of ecstasy and 2kg of methamphetamine from the Netherlands into Germany in June, reports said.
A Dutch Olympic sprinter has been sentenced to eight and a half years in prison on drug charges in Germany.
A court in the German town of Kleve found Madiea Ghafoor knowingly imported around 50kg of ecstasy and 2kg of methamphetamine from the Netherlands into Germany in June, the dpa news agency reported.
The 27-year-old reached the European Championship final in the 400 metres last year and was tipped to represent the Netherlands in the 4×400 relay at the recent world championships.
She also raced the 4×400 at the 2016 Olympics, where the Dutch team was eliminated in the heats.
Dpa reported that Ghafoor’s defence said she decided to take performance-enhancing drugs to improve her career and believed she was transporting similar substances for other athletes, not narcotics.
She did not say who had given her the drugs to transport, citing fears for her safety and for that of people close to her.
The Dutch track and field federation said the case would be referred to the country’s doping authority.
