Tuesday 5 November 2019 11:33, UK
Dutch Olympic athlete Madiea Ghafoor has been jailed for eight-and-a-half years after £2m worth of ecstasy tablets and crystal meth were found in the boot of her car in Germany, the DPA news agency has reported.
Ghafoor was stopped at a border check in Elten in June where 50kg of ecstasy, 2kg of crystal meth and 11,950 euros in cash were seized by police, the report said.
The 27-year-old Ghafoor reached the European Championship final in the 400 meters last year and also raced the 4x400m at the 2016 Olympics, where the Dutch team was eliminated in the heats.
The Dutch Athletics Union said it was shocked by the case and would investigate Ghafoor's claim concerning doping materials to ascertain who else might have been involved.
"We are stunned by the judgement," a statement on the organisations website said.
"With the ruling of the German court, the Athletics Union rejects the actions of Ghafoor.
"The Athletics Union condemns any use or trade in doping or drugs and fully commits itself to the Dutch doping law.
"The case has been transferred to the Doping Authority to investigate the extent to which the doping legislation has been violated."
Ghafoor refused to reveal who she was transporting the drugs for and said she feared for the safety of her family, DPA said.
