Police stop of car uncovered cannabis dealing operation

The Royal Court heard that police stopped Connor Moon and Shaun Bulmer along Fort Road after following them from Town.

What they found helped them discover Moon’s dealers – couple Darragh Granville and Holly Shields.

Granville, 25, who previously gave an address of Flat 2, Cherbourg House, 42, Mount Row, St Peter Port, admitted supplying cannabis and cannabis resin to another, and charges of possessing both drugs.

Shields, 25, who previously gave the same address, pleaded guilty to supplying cannabis and cannabis resin to another.

Moon, 25, who previously gave an address of 48, Sausmarez Mill Estate, Old Mill, St Martin’s, admitted the same supply charge along with two counts of possessing cannabis resin and one of possessing the class C substance diazepam.

Bulmer, 23, [of no fixed address at an earlier hearing], admitted supplying cannabis resin to another and possessing an offensive weapon in public.

Judge Russell Finch said Granville and Moon were active players in the dealing and said while the amounts of the drug found were small, it was likely the court would never know how much of the drugs had passed through their hands.

‘This level of dealing is difficult to detect – a real curse on Guernsey,’ he said.

The court heard how Granville and Shields were in a relationship, while Moon was a school friend of Granville’s.

In February 2019, a police patrol saw two men, Moon and Bulmer, get in a vehicle in Town and drive off. They stopped the vehicle on Fort Road.

They searched it and found 9.02g of cannabis resin in the glove box, as well as 1.88g of cannabis resin in another part of the car and a strip of diazepam.

An eagle wing-shaped knuckleduster was also found.

Their phones were seized and Moon was in possession of nearly £700 in cash.

Moon’s partner’s home was searched and 4.33g of cannabis resin was found in a cupboard, as well as a list of names and numbers that included Granville’s. Moon’s phone showed he had been supplying drugs to others and on the evening of his arrest had three meetings relating to drugs.

This led to Granville and Shield’s home being searched. Around a coffee table was found numerous lumps of drugs, totalling 10.72g of cannabis resin and 10.55g of cannabis, as well as more than £2,000 in cash. There was also drug paraphernalia, like scales, a knife and cling film.

The couple’s phones were checked and showed they both were organising deals to sell drugs.

In interview, Bulmer said while he was a cannabis user, he did not deal drugs. The knuckleduster had a been a gift, which he had forgotten was in his car.

Granville said the drugs found at his home were his.

Granville’s advocate, Peter Ferbrache, said his client had been struggling to cope with family illness and had used cannabis as a crutch. He had started dealing to fund his habit. He asked the court to note that Granville’s involvement in drug dealing was peripheral.

‘He is a decent young man, who acted stupidly,’ Advocate Ferbrache said.

Advocate Sara Mallett, for Shields, said her client’s role in the crimes had been at the lower end and Shields did not use drugs herself.

Advocate Liam Roffey, for Moon, said his client had been dealing drugs to fund his habit and to pay back a debt to Granville. He now planned to address his problem.

Advocate Catherine Fooks, for Bulmer, said her client had been out with a friend and had failed to exercise good judgement.