A Liverpool man detained as he stepped off a plane in Jersey told customs officers "I want to be brutally honest with you lads" before admitting he had 16 packages of cocaine inside his body.
Lawrence Mitchell, 37, was one of three crooks jailed in Jersey's Royal Court this week after being caught trying to take advantage of the inflated costs of illegal drugs on Jersey. Mitchell had flown from Liverpool John Lennon Airport on July 21 this year with the cocaine deals, wrapped inside condoms, concealed internally.
Jersey Customs and Immigration Service (JCIS) officers estimated the drugs were around 81% purity and worth up to £24,640 at street level.
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Customs officers also detained another Liverpool man, 20-year-old Elijah Silbourne, who concealed a kilogram of cocaine in the spare wheel well inside the boot of his car. Silbourne had taken the vehicle to Jersey on the ferry from Poole on June 1, but was stopped and the car was searched.
JCIS said the seizure of the cocaine, estimated to have a street value of between £120,000 and £225,000, was "one of the largest single seizures of cocaine made on the island".
Another courier, Manchester woman Rosie Massay, 25, was also stopped on August 3 after flying to the island from Birmingham with 105g of cocaine in her pocket.
Mitchell, who had a long string of previous convictions, and Massay were each jailed for seven years for Class A drug importation. Silbourne was jailed for six years.
Luke Goddard, Senior Manager at JCIS said: “These attempted importations demonstrate how the Island is being targeted by criminal organisations. The diligent work of JCIS Officers has disrupted their activities. The sentences of the courts reflects the seriousness of these offences and sends out an appropriate message to those involved.”
Anyone with information on drug smuggling can report it anonymously via 0800 735 5555.
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