A UK businesswoman has been refused bail after she was accused of bringing just over €2m worth of heroin through Dublin Airport.

Mother-of-three Samina Saffad, 50, of Priestfield Avenue, Middlesbrough, England, was arrested on Friday.

Gardai stopped her at Dublin Airport after she arrived on a business class flight from Lahore, Pakistan.

Following an examination of her luggage by customs, 15kgs of heroin with an estimated street value of €2.1million was seized.

She and a man in his thirties were arrested by gardai and then detained at Ballymun Garda Station under the provisions of Section 2 Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act 1996.

The man was released but Ms Saffad was brought to appear before Judge Dermot Simms at Dublin District Court on Monday.

Detective Gary Dunne of the Garda Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau told the court the accused made no reply when charged with possessing the heroin for the purpose of sale or supply.

Further more serious charges are to follow, he also told the court.

Objecting to bail he said the accused had claimed she had been asked by another man in Pakistan to bring the suitcase of clothes to his sister in Dublin.

After flying business class with Qatar airlines she arrived at Dublin Airport where she was stopped by customs officers.

The court heard Saffad has dual UK and Pakistan citizenship.

The heroin was in a false bottom in the suitcase and the accused denied knowing it was there, the court heard.

The garda described her as a serious flight risk and said she had transferred her business interests to another family member. She had also strong ties to Pakistan, he said.

He agreed with defence solicitor Michael French that she had denied all knowledge of the drugs.

She was an experienced traveller, he said, and the drugs weighed 15kgs but the suitcase overall weighed 18kgs.

There was also a strong smell of glue which raised suspicions, he added.

Pleading for bail, Mr French said his client consistently denied knowing it was there and she could remain in custody until as far away as 2020 until her trial was reached.

Her husband was in poor health and efforts were being made to provide an address in Ireland.

A friend and a cousin of her husband were in court, the solicitor said.

She was adamant she would remain in the jurisdiction if granted bail he said as he asked the court to set €10,000 bail.

Judge Simms held she was a flight risk and refused.

Ms Saffad, who was in tears by the end of the hearing, was remanded in custody to appear again next Monday.