Two defendants who were involved in smuggling just under a kilo of cocaine to the island in a mini-fridge have received lengthy jail terms.
Rosemary Ellen Burgess, 22, was jailed for eight years while Peter Phillip Sean Nulty, 40, was jailed for nine.
The Court of General Gaol Delivery heard that as part of an ongoing police operation codenamed Fortress a parcel shipped to the island from the UK via a courier company was seized in late September last year on suspicion it contained controlled drugs.
It was addressed to a ‘Jessica Summers’ at Burgess’s home in Old Laxey Hill, Laxey.
When it was opened, it was found to contain a block of cocaine weighing 994.9 grams, valued by police at £99,940. The cocaine had a purity of 77%.
When police arrived at her home to arrest her, she told them: ‘I think I’m going to jail.’
A search of the address found a holdall in the attic containing 1,578.9g of cannabis with a street value of £31,718.
She was already on police bail for an incident in May when she and another man went to a property on Woodbourne Road, Douglas, to collect a parcel containing 1,863.4g of cannabis, worth £37,268.
The package, which had been sent from the USA, had been intercepted by Customs and Excise officers and had been delivered by an undercover officer dressed as a courier driver.
Police found £400 cash on Burgess.
She admitted being concerned in the production of cocaine to the island.
Burgess also pleaded guilty to possessing cannabis with intent to supply, attempting to possess the class B drug with intent to supply it, and money laundering in relation to the £400 in cash.
The court heard that Burgess was a heroin addict who had been paid £1,000 for her involvement in shipping the drugs.
Her role was a lesser one than Nulty, who was implicated by messages retrieved on Burgess’s mobile phone.
One message from him told her: ‘Could be getting some ket – so what can you do with that?’
While in prison, Burgess wrote a letter to her estranged partner, trying to tip off Nulty that the police could be on to him.
The letter said ‘Tell P to clear everything or he’s f****d as well. They can see deleted phone messages.’
Nulty’s home, at Tynwald Street in Douglas, was searched and cash totalling £8,920 was found, as well as 0.4 grams of cocaine.
He pleaded guilty to being concerned in production of cocaine to the island, possessing cocaine, and possessing criminal property, namely £8,920 in cash.
Nulty’s defence advocate Helen Lobb said her client was ‘not the top level kingpin’. ‘It was a monumental lapse of judgement on his part,’ she said.
Jailing Burgess for eight years and Nulty for nine, Deemster Graeme Cook said: ‘Drug supply in this island is becoming far too common.’
Both will serve two thirds of their sentence before they are automatically released on licence and will be eligible to apply for parole at the half-way point.