The Isle of Man’s senior judges have thrown out existing guidelines for sentencing cannabis smugglers and set harsher new penalties.

It follows an explosion in the number of convictions, with the seizure of class B drugs at an all-time high.

The total weight of seizures of herbal cannabis has jumped 17,000% from 186 grams in 2011 to 31.7 kilograms in 2020.

The street value has also shot up. It was steady at about £6 per gram before tripling to £20 per gram in 2016 and now stands at £30 per gram.

It’s selling for about £10 per gram in England and Wales.

This makes the Isle of Man a ’particularly lucrative and attractive market for Merseyside drug traffickers’, say appeal judge Jeremy Storey and Deemsters Montgomerie and Teare, adding: ’ Drugs are easily available and recreation use is high, because the cost is within the reach of many, including juveniles.

’There is clear evidence of English organised crime gangs targeting the Isle of Man.’

During 2020 new forms of cannabis products appeared in the island such as ’shatter’ and ’crumble’, costing £100-£150 per gram and far more potent than herbal cannabis or cannabis resin.

And juvenile involvement has moved from being virtually non-existent in 2011, with one arrest, to 28 arrests in 2020.

The judges rejected a suggestion that vulnerable adults and juveniles coerced into bringing cannabis into the island should be protected from harsh sentences, stating: ’It is not for this court to weigh up the economic and social merits of reducing terms of imprisonment and spending the savings on improved education, family support, prevention and rehabilitation and so minimise any desire to explore the risky business of cannabis trafficking.

’It is for Tynwald to decide how best to spend the island’s limited resources.’

Jail terms have been increased under the new guidelines that come into effect immediately.

The penalties are higher than England and Wales but lower than Jersey and Guernsey.

Cannabis smugglers can expect sentences of one to three years for importing up to 2kg of herbal cannabis, two to five years for up to 5kg, four to seven up to 10kg, six to nine years up to 30kg, and a minimum of eight years for trafficking more than 30kg.

The judges state: ’We consider that there are now clear and convincing reasons to introduce a higher tariff for class B drug trafficking.’

Cannabis smuggling in the Isle of Man:

- Arrests more than tripled from 43 in 2011 to 157 in 2020. Even if 2020 was an exceptional year, there were 128 arrests in 2019

- Number of large scale productions have increased and methods are becoming increasingly sophisticated.

- Number of prosecutions doubled over the past 10 years, whereas in England numbers have fallen.

- Street value of herbal cannabis and resin cannabis rose from £37,400 in 2011 to £622,400 in 2020 - a rise of 1,565%.