A deemster says he is set to meet with the Department of Home Affairs over concerns the island’s prison is being overrun by those convicted of drug offences.

During the sentencing of drug mule Hannah Flinn on Friday at the Court of General Gaol Delivery, Deemster Cook expressed concerns over the number of drug cases coming through the courts.

He spoke after sentencing Flinn, 38, to four years and 10 months in prison for the production of cocaine and possession of the drug with intent to supply.

He said: ‘I have a meeting with the Department of Home Affairs (DHA). Most of those in prison over here have been sentenced for drug offences and it will soon be full of people trying to bring drugs over here.’

Deemster Cook said he believed 70 per cent of people were in prison for drug offences and with the introduction of drug sniffer dogs at the Sea Terminal, those numbers could increase.

Sentences for those involved in dealing or producing class A drugs increased in the mid-2000s with the Caldwell-Camp guidelines.

Even those at the bottom end of the scale receive five years which can be increased or decreased depending on mitigation and aggravating features. At the top end it can be 12 years.

The number of people in jail for drug offences swelled last year when 32 people were sentenced after the Isle of Man Constabulary worked with England’s North West Regional Organised Crime Unit to launch Operation Nightjar.

The operation took place in the latter half of 2023 to identify individuals actively dealing cocaine during the night-time in Douglas.

The aim of Operation Nightjar was to seize the class A drugs before they hit the streets on the island.

In recent months, there have been a number of people in court after brining drugs into the Isle of Man despite clear warnings at the ports and airport that doing so could land them in prison for 12 years.

But that warning was not heeded by Flinn, of Chelsea Road, Liverpool, who was arrested at the Sea Terminal on March 3.

She later entered guilty pleas to importing cocaine to the island and possessing it with intent to supply.

Prosecuting advocate Hazel Caroon told the court that Flinn arrived on the ferry in the Isle of Man, as a foot passenger from Heysham, at 6pm on March 3.

She was quizzed by customs officers and suspicions were raised about her explanation for visiting the island. She also appeared to be drunk.

Flinn was taken to Noble’s Hospital and three thumb-sized packages of cocaine were found inside her.

Police tested the first package and it was found to be 22.4 grams of cocaine. In total, she was carrying 65.53g of the class A drug with a street value of £6,539.

Flinn, who has no previous convictions, told police those who told her to bring over the drugs threatened to kill her mum. Checks were made and security improved at her mother’s home.

Defence advocate Peter Taylor said: ‘I would ask the court to show mercy on my client. She should be rehabilitated rather than punished.’

He said that since Flinn has been in jail she has ‘got her health back’ and is free of drink and drugs.

While Deemster Cook had sympathy for Flinn’s situation, the right message had to get out there.

He said: ‘The message needs to get through that people must not bring drugs to the island.

‘The jail is full over people related to drug offences. It is overcrowded which is caused, in part, by people bring drugs over here.

‘But I accept you are vulnerable and you were a drug mule.’

As well as the jail sentence, Flinn will be excluded from the island on her release from prison for five years.

A spokesperson for the Department of Home Affairs said representatives from the department had already met with Deemster Cook to discuss the issue of drugs making their way onto the island.

The spokesperson added: 'Disrupting the activity of organised criminals who seek to exploit the Isle of Man remains an area of focus for the island’s law enforcement agencies.

'This is reflected in the Department of Home Affairs Policing Plan for 2025/26; the Chief Constable’s most recent annual report; and the Government’s Security Our Island Strategy, which launched last year.

'A key success measure for these initiatives is an increase in the amount of drugs and criminal property being seized.

'Disrupting the flow of drugs through successful interception and seizure – as well as subsequent prosecutions – sends a strong signal to organised criminals and acts as a deterrent.

'An example of these strategies at work is Operation Nightjar, which last year saw 16 people prosecuted for drug offences.'