Chief Constable Gary Roberts has warned organised criminal groups of the consequences of their illegal actions.
He spoke to Isle of Man Today at a press briefing for Operation Artemis, an operation that focused on an organised crime group operating in the island.
Mr Roberts said: 'If you look at the profile of the people in the Isle of Man prison, a lot of them are serving long sentences for drug trafficking.
‘That shows that once we turn our attention to a syndicate or organised criminal group, we catch them, and they go to prison for a long time.’
Police officers have revealed how they took down a drug-trafficking ring operating in the island.
Operation Artemis took place between February and October 2022.
The Manx police worked with counterparts in Merseyside to get information about shipments of cannabis to the island.
The police stopped and searched a number of cars, as part of Operation Strongbox, and soon found that there were connections between the seized packages and circumstances.
The police set up surveillance on a number of individuals to gain more information on the drug trafficking ring.
Overall, the police found 54kg of cannabis, with a street value of more than £1million, almost £250,000 in criminal proceeds and five cars modified to conceal drugs.
The operation involved the arrest of 22 people and the conviction of 14 individuals, who received a total of 39 years and four months in prison between them.
The criminal activity was taking place as an organised crime group (OCG) in the island worked with another cell across in the Merseyside area.
Some of these mules were arrested during Operation Strongbox, which targets criminals who want to import or export drugs to the Isle of Man.
These were operated by magnetic switches and concealed buttons that opened up compartments in the vehicles, where the contraband was seized.
A police spokesperson said: ‘The operation has brought significant disruption to organised criminal groups and one long-standing group has been dismantled.
Mr Roberts said: ‘Organised criminal groups, based both here and in Merseyside, pose a real threat to our way of life.
‘There is nothing romantic or beneficial to the community in the way that these ruthless groups go about their activity.
‘They seek to exploit vulnerable people and they care nothing about the impact of what they do.’
Mr Roberts highlighted the impact this operation will have on future investigations into organised crime.
He added: ‘I think it shows the level of sophistication but secondly it shows that the people involved with this travelled here lots of times before they were caught.
‘When we’ve got people bringing in up to £200,000-worth of drugs here and we catch them on that occasion but they’ve been here five or six times, it’s easy to work out a pattern and the extent of the drug trafficking.
‘I think it’s an important wake-up call for the public.’
Merseyside Police were heavily consulted throughout the operation and Mr Roberts highlighted how important that relationship is.
He said: ‘I’ve been in the force for 39 years and the level of co-operation we have with Merseyside now is the best it’s ever been.
‘The relationship we have is really strong and we cannot conduct operations like this without the support of the likes of Merseyside and sometimes Lancashire Constabulary, that support is critical.’
Detective Inspector Jamie Tomlinson, the officer who led the operation, said: ‘The successful outcome of the operation was a direct consequence of the dedication, skill and hard work of a small group of detectives.
‘They confronted determined and well-resourced criminals and used a wide range of enforcement techniques to bring them to justice.
‘I am proud of what we have achieved and our efforts will continue and grow.’
Mr Tomlinson continued: ‘The drug trade is a lucrative trade, the minute you take some people off the street others are quite happy to fill the spaces.
‘We’re conscious of that and conscious that we have brought one particular crime group to an end.
‘But I am also conscious that we can’t rest there, we’ve got other work to do.
We will not stop, we will not rest and we’ve got a small dedicated team that will continue to do what they can.’
Garry Dentith was sentenced to seven years and three months for one count of production of cannabis, one count of supply of cannabis and five counts of money-laundering concerning £192,855 of criminal proceeds.
Dentith was identified by the Court of General Gaol Delivery as ‘playing a leading role’ and was ‘high up in the chain in the Isle of Man’.
Sam Leigh was sentenced to 32 months in prison for being concerning in the production of cannabis and money-laundering.
Leigh was arrested in September 2022 at Douglas Sea Terminal after £47,970 was found in his car.
Andrew McGill was concerned in the production of cannabis and was in possession of 8.5kg of cannabis, with a street value of £171,270, which McGill intended to distribute, and received 30 months in jail.
Thomas Harrison was sentenced to arrested with £47,530 in criminal cash hidden in his vehicle and was sentenced to eight months in jail.
Jamie Gelling was arrested after he was forensically linked to a carrier bag containing £11,730 of criminal cash and was jailed for nine months.
Sheila Starkey was arrested with £92,610.00 in criminal cash hidden in her vehicle and was sentenced to one year and five months in jail.
Kyle Badley was arrested with over six kilos of cannabis hidden in his vehicle and jailed for three years and two months.
Ian Broadbent was arrested with four kilos of cannabis hidden in his vehicle and jailed to three years and two months.
John Houghton was concerned in the importation of more than 11.5kg of cannabis to his place of work and jailed for three years and eight months.
Stephen Whittaker was arrested following the delivery of 2kg of cannabis to his home address and jailed for one year and two months.
Georgina Powell was arrested with £11,940 in criminal cash hidden in a pushchair and sentenced to six months custody, suspended for 12 months.
A vulnerable adult in the island was arrested following the delivery of 3 kilos of cannabis to their home address.
However, they were released with no further action due to the nature of which they had been exploited.
Christopher Corkill was arrested following the delivery of 4kg of cannabis to his home address and was jailed two years and 10 months.
Christopher Parker was arrested in possession of over 14kg of cannabis and £33,165 in criminal cash and sentenced to five years.
Bilal Moghal was arrested after producing over 13kg of cannabis to the island and jailed for four years and eight months.
There is another associated male that is currently out on police bail.
Operation Artemis ended in a raid on Garry Dentith and Andrew McGill's properties on October 18, 2022.
They people were arrested in their properties on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of cannabis and money laundering.