A drug smuggler who brought cocaine and cannabis to the island hidden in a van has been jailed for six years and four months.

At his sentencing, the Court of General Gaol Delivery heard that Michael James Green had made matters worse for himself by initially lying about the death of a child from leukaemia at the age of three.

In fact one of his twins had died during pregnancy - and a tragic situation that would have gone to his mitigation had become instead an aggravating factor due to his attempted deception.

Deemster Graeme Cook told him: ‘I find the whole situation completely distasteful, disgusting and beyond comprehension. Your lies could easily be found out.’

He said this was a serious aggravating factor and had made the case not a straight forward one for sentencing.

Green, of Dacy Road, Liverpool, admitted importing cocaine and cannabis, as well as possessing both drugs with intent to supply.

Prosecuting advocate Hazel Carroon told the court that the defendant had arrived in the island in a black Ford Transit van on the ferry from Heysham at 6am on March 21 this year.

When stopped by Customs officers, he claimed he was a subcontractor, due to work in a shop in the island.

But no items were found in the van to support his claims, and the vehicle was seized by police.

A search at police headquarters found a purpose-built hide under the rear seat.

Inside were 497.5g of cocaine with a street value of £47,755 and a purity of 86%, and 522.3g of cannabis with a street value of £10,466.

Green was interviewed and told officers that he had been asked to deliver cannabis to the island and didn’t realise there was cocaine in the van.

He said he had been told to leave the vehicle in a street and collect it the next day.

In a statement that formed his basis on plea, the defendant said he had been given money for his ferry fare and told he would receive £1,000 after the job was done. He never received the payment.

Green said he had been in a dire personal and financial position - his wife had left him, he had a gambling addiction and no work.

His advocate Paul Rodgers said his client had made an ‘extraordinarily poor error of judgement’.

‘He was in a very poor mental state at the time. He had developed a gambling addiction,’ he said.

Deemster Cook said it didn’t matter whether the defendant believed it was class A or B drugs in the van as he had to take responsibility for the offences.

He sentenced Green to six years and four months in jail for the production of cocaine offence.

Sentences of six years for importing cannabis and four months each for the two possession with intent to supply charges will run concurrently.

The Deemster also imposed an exclusion order banning Green from the island for a period of five years after he leaves prison.