Eight-and-a-half years jail for importing cocaine internally

Jack David White, 35, pictured, looked nervous to customs officers and was visibly shaking as he arrived on a flight from Manchester last October.

He had more than 60g of cocaine concealed internally.

He said he was returning to the island for work after 10 days away and told officers that he was travelling alone, all baggage was his own and he had not been asked to carry anything for anyone else.

He denied using drugs but when a test of his phone and shoes came up positive for cocaine, he admitted having used the drug a few days earlier.

He was arrested on suspicion of importation and was taken to the hospital.

There he refused to give officers the pin code to his phone but said he had two 30g wraps of cocaine inside him.

After he passed both packages the total was revealed as 63.7g, with a market value of between £6,370 and £9,555.

He said it was for his personal use.

‘That is all I want to say on this.’

Advocate Chris Green said that White had been ‘emotionally shattered’ by false allegations made against him. On a trip away from the island he obtained cocaine for his personal use. He claimed to be using about 3g a day.

‘It’s not an excuse but it’s somewhat of an explanation,’ said Advocate Green.

White had not given his pin code but entry to his phone was forced, but there was no evidence there that he planned to sell the drugs.

Lieutenant-Bailiff Russell Finch imposed sentences of eight years for the importation and a further six months for the pin code offence.

He noted White’s past record, including a fine for possession of Class C drugs in Guernsey, and the aggravating factors such as the internal concealment and the amount imported being larger than just ‘a few days use’, as well as his ‘high likelihood to reoffend’.

‘You are hardly an asset to the community,’ he said.

White’s sentence will be counted from October, when he was taken into custody, and had remained until his trial.