An ex-flight attendant has been jailed for 28 months after being found guilty at Stoke in Trent Crown Court of possession with intent to supply a Class A drug. Alexandra Florentina Dobre, 27, was most recently working as a member of cabin crew for an airline out of London Luton Airport (LTN) but she lost her job earlier this year after the COVID-19 pandemic grounded flights worldwide and decimated the aviation industry.
After losing her job, Dobre had no money to pay for her rent and she ended up moving to a new area where she knew some friends. At this point, she formed a relationship with a man she met on a dating app who then allegedly lured her into becoming a drug mule.
On August 7, police carried out a traffic stop on the car Dobre was driving late at night and found six sealed bags of a white substance that tested positive for Cocaine. A search warrant was carried out at an address she was staying where a further 81 small snap seal bags of Cocaine were found.
In total, 19.4 grams of Cocaine was recovered with an estimated street value of between £1,740 and £2,610.
“She was a flight attendant for a number of years, with different airlines. She was well paid,” Dobre’s lawyer told the court. “She lost her job in spring this year and lost her accommodation as a result of that. She was at a loose end over what to do next,” the lawyer continued.
Her boyfriend allegedly suggested she could keep drugs at her flat to help pay for the rent. This then soon turned to her delivering the drugs as well. Since her arrest, the man has disappeared and police have been unable to trace him.
“She was plainly acting under direction. One of the terrible consequences of her offending is she will never work as a flight attendant again. It’s something she loved.”
Originally from Romania, Dobre had moved to the UK three years ago and had worked for a couple of airlines during that time. Judge David Fletcher, however, came down hard on the offender despite the mitigating circumstances.
“It was a class A substance, the consumption of which causes misery. You were an important cog in that wheel of the supply of this particular drug,” Judge Fletcher told her after passing a 28-month prison sentence.