£1.2 million Bouley Bay cannabis haul leads to 12 years in prison

Friday 18 December 2015

A plot to smuggle £1.2 million worth of cannabis into Jersey on a RIB coming into Bouley Bay has ended with two Frenchmen being given sentences totalling 12 years in prison.

Emmanuel Halais (39) and Emmanuel Gautier (29) were to be paid up to 10,000 euro for their part in the plan – they told police that they were “going to meet a man with a piercing” in a pub to hand over the drugs.

But police pounced on them as soon as they rowed to shore on a dinghy after tying their RIB to a buoy 150 metres from shore.

The pair were arrested behind the toilets at Bouley Bay at around 6 pm on 17 June, with police recovering five rucksacks full of cannabis.

When examined, the cannabis was found to weigh almost 60 kilograms, and police have estimated the street value as up to £1.2 million.

Yesterday, Crown Advocate Conrad Yates asked the Royal Court to sentence Halais to six-and-a-half years and Gautier to six years in prison – saying that Halais’ account of being just a courier was implausible, as he was effectively being trusted with £1.2 million worth of drugs.

The Royal Court granted the sentence in respect of Halais, and reduced Gautier’s recommended sentence by six months.

In a statement after the hearing, Detective Inspector Steve Langford said that the operation to stop the smuggling attempt had involved co-operation with customs, and authorities in France and Guernsey.

He said: “This was a significant seizure of cannabis which would have otherwise made its way to the streets of Jersey.

“We believe this operation will have caused major disruption to those involved in drug trafficking criminality through the Channel Islands.

“We remain committed to pursuing those involved in drug trafficking and we would like to thank our colleagues in both France and Guernsey for their assistance with this case.”