Vitor Ferreira, who lives in the UK, was stopped by Customs officers on 19 June at the Airport after arriving from Gatwick. He was arrested when officers discovered a plastic water bottle in his bag which contained seven small packages of white powder.
Ferreira pleaded guilty to the importation of illegal goods and was jailed for 12 months by the Royal Court.
Outlining the case, Solicitor General Mark Temple said that Ferreira was asked by an acquaintance to transport the drugs to Jersey in exchange for £1,000. The 34-year-old travelled to the Island on a flight that was paid for by the acquaintance, and he intended to stay in Jersey for three nights before returning to the UK.
A drugs analyst confirmed that the white powder weighed 98.3 gm and was found to contain MMB-CHMINACA, which is known on the street as CHMINACA – a psychoactive substance.
The court heard that an expert in drug-trafficking said that the synthetic cannabinoid was ‘extremely potent by comparison with some of its predecessors’ and that although the effects are similar to cannabis, it is ‘100 times stronger and has been linked to several recent deaths and hospitalisations in Europe’.
CHMINACA is commonly dissolved in a solvent and sprayed onto or soaked in herbal matter and then sold as synthetic cannabis.
The street value of the drug is about £7,840. However, it would make about 4.9 kg of synthetic cannabis, which would have an approximate street value of £98,000, the court heard.
Advocate Sarah Dale, defending, said that her client accepted that he deserved a prison sentence, but said that the Crown’s recommended sentence of 12 months should be reduced to nine.
She said that Ferreira had suffered with substance abuse for a long period of time, but over the last 18 months had been making progress.
Commissioner Julian Clyde-Smith said that because the substance is not used in its raw form, the offence was particularly serious.
‘He was caught importing this dangerous substance and he has been assessed as being of high risk of reconviction,’ he said. ‘We have no doubt that deportation from Jersey should be recommended.’
The commissioner was sitting with Jurats Geoffrey Fisher and Jerry Ramsden.
