A Dutch Olympic athlete has been jailed for 8.5 years in Germany for drugs smuggling.

Madiea Ghafoor, who was part of the 2016 Olympic squad and the Dutch 4×400 metre team, was arrested on June 18 after a routine police check near the German border with Arnhem.

The drugs, including 50 kilos of crystal meth and ecstasy, were found in the boot of the car she was driving. She was also carrying €12,000 in cash.

Ghafoor’s lawyer told the court that his client thought she was bringing in sports doping and would have never knowingly become involved in drugs.

After picking up the drugs in a Dutch cafe she drove to Germany where she expected to meet a doctor specialised in doping who would treat her and other athletes, the lawyer said.

She had hoped that using doping would enable her to qualify for the the athletics World Championships in Doha in September, the lawyer said. He plans to appeal against the 8.5 year sentence.