A criminal labelled ‘probably the most prolific drug dealer the island has ever seen’ has been jailed for 20 years.

Jamie Mark Smith controlled much of the Isle of Man’s drug trade, linking up with gang members in Liverpool, to flood the streets with cocaine and cannabis.

But police were closing in and the launch of Operation Vineyard spelt trouble for the now 38-year-old. Police managed to bug the hotel room in which from where Smith was orchestrating his crimes.

Recordings revealed he claimed that he had been involved in importing drugs for 15 years, with contacts in Liverpool, and made profits of between £1,000 and £4,000 per day.

At the Court of General Gaol Delivery on Thursday, Deemster Cook sentenced Smith to a total of 20 years in prison.

Smith previously admitted to being concerned in the supply of cocaine, for which he was jailed for nine years six months, being concerned in the production of the class A drug for which he received 10 years six months in prison to run consecutively and a five-year prison sentence to run concurrently for being concerned in the supply of cannabis.

The offences were all committed between August 2, 2022 and November 22, 2023.

Smith is already serving a five-year prison sentence, imposed in January last year, for importing cannabis and THC vapes, in relation to his role in a plot to smuggle 15.5 kilos of cannabis from Whitehaven to the island on a fishing boat. That sentence runs concurrently to the 20 years he is now serving.

Following the sentence, Detective Inspector Jamie Tomlinson of the serious and organised crime unit said: 'I am extremely pleased that the courts have imposed such a significant prison sentence in respect of Smith who was the head of an established organised crime group here in the island.

‘I do not exaggerate when I say that he is possibly the most prolific drug dealer the island has seen. We know he started dealing in his latter teenage years and he has not stopped since, apart from a period in custody for similar offences.

‘As soon as he was released from prison, he carried on where he left off. We know this because he said it himself.

‘As the Court heard, he was a career drug dealer who believed that he would not be caught, due to his network of associates. He believed that because he did not touch the drugs, he would evade prosecution.’

Det Insp Tomlinson has hailed the arrest and conviction of Smith as a big coup in the fight against illegal drugs in the island.

He said: ‘His arrest represents a major success for the island, as there is no doubt he would have continued to bring Class A and Class B controlled drugs into the community on a frequent and large scale, exploiting the vulnerable and profiting from their harm.

‘We also know he was in command of his street dealers and his customers around the island.

‘He built close working relationships with Merseyside criminal associates, including individuals he had previously served time with.’

Det Insp Tomlinson says Smith would rule his drug operations with fear and believes the island is now a safer place with Smith off the streets for a significant period.

‘He was also prepared to intimidate and threaten violence in order to undertake his criminal activity. The island is a safer place with him behind bars for a significant period.’