I’m surprised you could walk, judge tells smugglers who concealed cannabis internally

Lee Alan Smith, 42, and Peter Stevens, 52, both from Barnstaple, Devon, pleaded guilty to jointly smuggling the class B drug cannabis resin into the island.

Stevens also admitted importing the class A drug MDMA and the class C drug etizolam.

Judge Russell Finch said the men had taken a big risk and were captured. The internal concealment of the drugs was an aggravating factor.

‘The fact these men were able to walk was in itself surprising,’ he said.

He noted that it had been a labour-intensive investigation for medical and Guernsey Border Agency staff.

‘Hospitals are for genuinely ill people, not drug smugglers,’ he said.

Both men were jailed for three years for the cannabis resin importation. Stevens was also sentenced to 18 months for the class C drug and five-and-a-half years for the MDMA. All the sentences were concurrent.

The Royal Court heard how the men arrived aboard a flight from Exeter via Jersey.

Guernsey Border Agency staff were on duty with a drug detection dog, which gave a positive indication for drugs on both men.

The men were separated and initially both denied having any illegal substances.

Stevens said he was in Guernsey to repair a boat he had in Beaucette Marina. He had flown to the UK a few days before to pay off a debt and care for his sick mother. He confirmed that Smith lived in a house he owned.

Swabs were taken of his possessions, which came up positive for cocaine and MDMA. He appeared nervous and a strip search was authorised. He then admitted to having some ‘pills, valium and dope’.

He was searched and GBA officers were concerned there were internally concealed packages, so he was taken to the PEH. He later passed 58 packages – 56 contained a total of 301.93 grams of cannabis resin.

One contained 140 tablets of the class C anxiety drug etizolam, with a weight of 9.8g, and one with 12.64g of MDMA.

Smith said he was coming to help with repairs to Stevens’ boat and did not have drugs, although a swab of his phone showed traces of cocaine.

He later said he had made a stupid decision and a strip search was authorised.

Smith was wearing two pairs of boxer shorts and, as he took them off, officers found two packages of cannabis resin.

He confirmed there were more concealed internally and eventually 68 packages were recovered, with a total weight of 353.74g.

The cannabis resin had a total street value of between £13,113 and £19,670, while the MDMA had a street value of between £1,011 and £1,264. There is no details of the value of the etizolam.

Neither defendant had a criminal record.

Smith’s advocate, Samuel Steel, said his client was embarrassed and ashamed by what had happened. He had felt indebted to Stevens, who had helped him when he was homeless and having problems two years previously.

Stevens’ advocate, Paul Lockwood, said his client had been struggling as he coped with caring for his ill mother. While the cannabis resin was brought over for commercial reasons, the class A and C drugs were both for personal use.