£523k drug smuggling quartet jailed

Tuesday 10 October 2017

Three men in their sixties have been jailed for five years, with a fourth accomplice jailed for four-and-a half years, after they attempted to smuggle cannabis resin worth up to £523,500, into the island.

Alan Christopher Smith and Paul Francis George Wilson brought the drugs to St. Ouen's Bay on a boat and were met by Christopher John Munce and Keith Norris on the beach by the Les Laveurs slipway in the early hours of 21 April.

Crown Advocate Matthew Maletroit told the Court that the case stemmed from a surveillance operation conducted by Customs Officers. Early on 21 April, they observed a boat off the north coast and monitored its position as it made its way to St Ouen's Bay. Around 03:00, the boat was standing offshore in the Bay and the officers saw Munce and Norris pull into the car park at Les Laveurs slipway. Norris was then seen on the beach flashing a torchlight towards the boat, shortly before a dingy manned by Smith landed on the beach. Munce and Norris were then seen carrying bags from the beach to their hire car.

Munce and Smith were arrested on the beach, while Wilson was later found on the boat. Norris ran off, went back to his hotel and flew back to the UK the following morning. He was arrested in the UK on 22 June. 

The Court heard that officers found two bags in the car; in them were 269 packages containing a total of 26.177kg of cannabis resin, with a street value of up to £523,500. Smith and Wilson originally told officers they had been on a fishing trip off Alderney when they encountered engine problems and ran out of fuel. Smith admitted to rowing the dingy ashore but claimed it was to collect fuel from a friend, he denied handling the bags of cannabis. 

Advocate Maletroit said that both Munce and Smith had indicated they had been offered £15,000 to carry out the importation, although they hadn't specified whether the funds would be split, while Wilson stated he had been offered £1,000 to look after the drugs.

While Munce gave detailed background information on the importation, and Smith and Wilson named the supplier, Norris claimed he had no prior knowledge of his co-defendants acts.

Advocate Adam Harrison, defending Munce, told Court his client was more than just a courier, but not at the top. He stated: "He played no part in sourcing the drugs or funding the purchase of the drugs." He added that Munce had experienced recent problems with his health and finances. 

Advocate Mike Preston, who was representing Smith, said that his client had not played a role in the importation other than carrying the drugs to the beach. 

Wilson's advocate, Sarah Dale, said her client's involvement was the "gravest mistake of his life." She said that his actions were entirely out of character and that he did not wish to be before any court again in his life. She explained that six months before the importation, Wilson's life had taken a "complete nose live," and that he was desperate for money. She said he intended to use the money gained through the importation to pay for a deposit and furnishing of a flat. 

Advocate James Bell argued that Norris was the "last on the indictment and at the least level of involvement." He said his role had been limited as he hadn't been involved in any prior arrangements and that he had simply been recruited to assist when the boat landed at an unexpected location because of engine troubles. Advocate Bell told the Court that the original plan was for the boat to dock at a more convenient jetty.

Handing out the sentence, the Bailiff, Sir William Bailhache, who was sitting with Jurats Pamela Pitman, Suzanne Marett-Crosby, Rozanne Thomas, Charles Blampied and Jerry Ramsden, said Munce and Smith's involvement had been greater. He said that Munce was involved for a week having arrived in the island on 5 April, while Smith landed the drugs on the beach and was "very much at the center" and therefore shouldn’t be treated as a mere courier. As for Wilson and Norris, the Bailiff said that the former had been a minder of drugs for two weeks and knew they were going to be brought to the island while the latter had only been involved at the last minute. 

The Bailiff added that Munce, Smith and Wilson had very substantial mitigation available to them as they had named their supplier. He sentenced Munce, Smith and Norris to five years in prison, and Wilson to four-and-a-half years, given his lesser involvement.