Select a region
A 25-year-old who was caught trying to import cocaine worth up to £28,000 rectally in order to pass it to a dealer in Jersey has been sent to prison.
Jake Lee Thompson arrived in the island with his then-girlfriend on a flight on 17 October last year when he was stopped by Customs officers, the Royal Court heard this morning.
Stockport-born Thompson told officers the pair had no return flight, but they intended to stay in Jersey for a week, would look for a hotel room, that he might look for work as a mechanic, and that they needed to go to Roseville Street to meet someone called "Sandra".
Thompson was asked if he had used cocaine and told officers he had last taken some several months before.
But Crown Advocate Carla Carvalho, prosecuting, said swabs were taken from his backpack and wallet which showed more recent contact with the drug. After this, he claimed he had used cocaine the previous night "but his partner did not know and he did not want her to find out".
They examined him and saw an object "protruding from the defendant's rectum", which, when asked, Thompson said was cocaine.
Customs officers found 113 grams of cocaine in a condom he had hidden internally.
The street value was estimated at between £17,000 and £28,000, the court heard.
Thompson’s mobile phone also contained messages that suggested he was planning to pass the drugs on to a dealer in Jersey, and that they could sell two ounces for £7,000.
Pictured: A mock-up of the text exchange between Thompson and the associate found following examination of his phone.
The Royal Court heard that the associate told Thompson, "I got shots for legs" and that he "can just do ya own thing", adding: "Soon as the 2 goes I'll square u up."
This referred to buyers the associate had lined up, but that he could arrange his own buyers if he preferred. The associate would pay the defendant as soon as two ounces of cocaine were sold.
He admitted attempting to import illegal drugs but said he was just a courier and insisted that his girlfriend had no knowledge of or involvement in the crime.
Advocate Carvalho accepted Thompson pleaded guilty early but pointed out: “Given all the evidence, the guilty plea was all but inevitable.”
She added: “Drug dealing is dangerous, wrecks lives and has a damaging effect on local communities.”
Advocate Carvalho said Thompson was deemed at medium risk of reconviction and there were no special circumstances in the case that would allow the court to reduce his sentence. She recommended a six-year jail term.
Advocate Mark Boothman, defending, pointed out that Thompson gave a written statement that admitted his guilt but exonerated his girlfriend, and said: “That should be significantly to his credit.”
Pictured: The condom in which the cocaine had been concealed.
He added: “This is the first time he has ever been in trouble. Whatever happens today he has learnt a very harsh lesson. He is aware of the harm drugs cause to society.
“He made a decision which he will no doubt regret for the rest of his life.”
Advocate Boothman also argued that Thompson’s “relative youth” should be taken into consideration, and asked for a sentence of no more than five years.
Bailiff Sir Timothy Le Cocq said the Jurats had agreed to reduce the prosecution’s requested sentence slightly, giving him credit for his co-operation with the authorities and his letter of remorse.
“We take that remorse as genuine,” he said.
The court jailed Thompson for five years and eight months.
Following the sentence, Jersey Customs and Immigration Service senior manager Paul Le Monnier said: “This was an unsophisticated attempt to import cocaine to the island that was thwarted by the vigilance of our officers at the borders.
"The sentence handed out to Thompson demonstrates the hard stance the island takes to drug trafficking.”
Jurats Jane Ronge, Steven Austin-Vautier, Joanne Averty, David Gareth Hughes, Andrew Cornish and Alison Opferman were sitting.
Anyone with information on drug smuggling can report it anonymously by calling 0800 735 5555.
Comments
Comments on this story express the views of the commentator only, not Bailiwick Publishing. We are unable to guarantee the accuracy of any of those comments.