A passenger who was caught with cocaine while driving off the boat, and was under the influence of drugs, has been fined £2,000.

Liam Paul Henderson, from Oldham, must pay the fine, plus £50 prosecution costs, immediately, or face up to 80 days in prison.

He has also been handed a two-year driving ban, with an order to take an extended test after the disqualification ends.

That ban will also apply in the UK.

Prosecuting advocate Annie Bannister told magistrates that Henderson was driving a Volkswagen Crafter van on April 14, arriving on the island, on the ferry from Liverpool.

As he was disembarking, he was stopped by police for a routine vehicle check.

A drug wipe test proved positive for cocaine, and a search found 1.9 grams of the class A drug on a seat.

Thirty-eight-year-old Henderson, of The Green, was arrested and taken to police headquarters.

During an interview, he admitted driving and importing the drug.

A sample of blood was taken, and sent to the UK for analysis.

On August 13, the sample was returned and showed a result of 240 for benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine, which has a legal limit of 50.

The cocaine found was valued by police at £190.

Defence advocate Kaitlyn Shimmin said that her client hadn’t been over the limit for cocaine itself, only its metabolite.

She said that Henderson’s employer may help with the payment of the fine, if he couldn’t afford to pay immediately.

The advocate said that, on the day of the offence, Henderson had been coming to the island to work.

She said he had been going through family difficulties, and had leant on substances for support, but had since stopped.

Magistrates fined Henderson £1,250 for driving under the influence of benzoylecgonine, and £750 for importing cocaine.