A young roofer who played a significant role in bringing over a ‘drugs shop’ of cocaine, ketamine and cannabis to the Isle of Man has been handed a lengthy jail term.

Billy Lewis Marina was found with a haul of drugs including a kilo of cocaine worth just over £100,000.

Sentencing him to nine years in prison, Deemster Graeme Cook said: ‘This island is getting overwhelmed by the amount of drugs coming in in bulk. The message needs to get out there.’

Marina, a 22-year-old roofer from Alfreton, Derbyshire, was stopped during a routine search at the Sea Terminal at around 6pm on June 24 last year after coming off the ferry from Heysham.

Prosecutor Hazel Carroon said officers smelled cannabis coming from his car. The defendant was detained and his silver Mercedes A Class searched.

A police drug detection dog was brought in to assist with the search.

Three black vacuum-packed packages containing cannabis were found inside a duffle bag, together with a significant amount of cash in a jacket in the same bag, the court heard.

Further searches of the vehicles uncovered more vacuum-packed packages containing drugs.

In total, officers found 1kg of cocaine of 85% purity, with a street value of £100,341, as well as 250g of ketamine with a street value of between £10,170 and £12,712, and 2.5kg of cannabis with a potential value of £50,414.

Deemster Cook described it as a ‘drugs shop’.

Analysis of the defendant’s mobile phone messages showed that the defendant was heavily involved in not just bringing over the drugs but also deciding what type of drugs and how they should be paid for.

Marina pleaded guilty to importing cocaine, ketamine, and cannabis to the island, and possessing the drugs with intent to supply.

Defence advocate Ian Kermode said his client had made a ‘catastrophic error of judgement’.

‘He accepts he has been extremely stupid. He was playing a significant role not only bringing drugs to the island himself but he organised the whole thing.’

The defendant had no previous drugs convictions.

Marina, of Birchwood Crescent in Alfreton, had written a letter to the court accepting full responsibility but asking for leniency.

But Deemster Cook said that ‘time and time again’ he was presented with letters from defendants saying the same thing. He said these may or may not be genuine but those importing drugs ‘don't think about what they are doing to society’.

He said in Marina’s case he was quite clearly not a simple courier or mule. ‘You were involved in planning in some way. You were making a substantial gain,’ he told him.

The Deemster jailed him for a total of nine years.

Marina will serve two thirds of his sentence before being automatically released. He can apply for parole at the halfway point.