Drug smuggling author jailed for £1m Porsche stash

Thursday 13 December 2018

A pensioner who claimed he had come to Jersey to write his next book, will spend over a decade behind bars after smuggling more than £1million worth of cocaine, ecstasy and cannabis in a Porsche customised with hidden compartments.

James Rice (69), who has written two books under the pen-name 'Seamus O’Mulgreavey', was yesterday sentenced in the Royal Court to 11.5 years' imprisonment for his “very sophisticated importation."

The Irish national was caught by Customs Officers at the Elizabeth Terminal in June, importing 1kg of cocaine, 9,853 MDMA tablets and 498 bars of cannabis resin.

In total, the drugs had a combined street value of up to £1.34million, according to the States’ Analyst Nicholas Hubbard. 

Pictured: Almost 500 bars of cannabis resin were found stashed in secret compartments in the elderly author's car, amongst other large quantities of drugs.

Crown Advocate Conrad Yates told the Court that when he was stopped at the harbour after coming to the island on the Condor Rapide from St. Malo, Rice explained to a Customs Officer that “he was a writer and had come to Jersey to look at properties… whilst he wrote a book."

Later, Defence Advocate Michael Haines showed the Royal Court two paperback books that had been written by his client in the 1980s, including ‘Bonkie: The Great Bank Blagger’ – a tale of “the perfect crime pulled off by a most imperfect criminal."

Rice admitted importing the drugs by pleading guilty at an earlier Court appearance in September.

Addressing the Court, Defence Advocate Haines argued that his client was merely “a cog or link in the distribution chain” of these drugs and that he had “neither the contacts, knowledge or resources” to be “an organiser” of such an operation.

Pictured: Rice was sentenced in the Royal Court yesterday after pleading guilty to the three charges of drug importation.

“Those who are high up in the drug trade do not take these risks”, the Defence Advocate argued.  

Rice’s lawyer emphasised his client’s early guilty pleas to the three counts of importation, his good character, age and his “very poor health." He implored the Court to reduce Rice’s sentence “as an act of mercy”, given the fact he is “in effect wheelchair-bound."

The case was heard by the Bailiff, Sir William Bailhache, sitting with Jurats Nicolle, Crill, Thomas, Ronge and Dulake. They were assembled as the 'Superior Number' - a panel with sentencing powers above four years’ imprisonment. 

Having retired to consider their sentence, the Bailiff told the Court: “This quantity of drugs, if then launched onto the streets of Jersey would cause an enormous amount of damage to the health of the island people who took it.”

Pictured: The pensioner was caught importing over £1million worth of drugs including cocaine, ecstasy and cannabis at the Harbour earlier this year.

Handing down the Court’s sentence, the Bailiff acknowledged that Rice would receive credit for his early guilty pleas, previous good character and he noted that the pensioner’s poor health was also given consideration. 

The Court heard that the Jurats were not unanimous in their decision, but the majority of them decided on a sentence of 11.5 years in jail.

An order was made for the Porsche and the drugs to be forfeited and destroyed.

As Rice is not from Jersey, the question of whether he should be deported from the island was also raised, but as there is doubt about his nationality, this matter has been adjourned until the end of January.