Drug smugglers jailed for 12 years

Emmanuel Yves Halais and Emmanuel Gautier, who are bothfrom Brittany, were seen approaching Bouley Bay on a RIB at around 6 pm on 17 June by officers who had been monitoring the area.

The pair – who were both carrying rucksacks – were arrested minutes after stepping onto Jersey soil. Both rucksacks were seized and 488 euros was found in Halais’ pockets.

Halais and Gautier pleaded guilty to being knowingly concerned in the importation of almost 60 kilograms of cannabis and were sentenced to six and a half years and five and a half years respectively by the Superior Number – which only convenes for Jersey’s most serious cases – and recommended for deportation.

Outlining the case, Crown Advocate Conrad Yates said that Halais claimed he had been approached by a stranger in a bar two weeks before the offence, who, he claimed, had asked him if he would take some packages to Jersey in exchange for between 5,000 and 10,000 euros.

‘Halais stated that, at that stage, he declined the offer, but went away to consider it,’ Advocate Yates said.

‘Halais claimed that a couple of weeks later he met the man again, entirely by chance, at the beach in Dinard. They spoke and this time he agreed to transport the packages, as he said he needed the money.’

The 39-year-old then recruited his friend, Gautier, and the pair were given a mobile phone, 1,100 euros to pay for boat hire and a further 100 euros to pay for rucksacks to transport the drugs.

The next day, Halais and Gautier hired the RIB and travelled to Chausey, before making the journey to Jersey at around 5 pm that evening. The defendants were told to meet a contact in a bar between 10 pm and 11 pm, who would pay them for transporting the drugs.

Three rucksacks were seized from the boat, as well as the two that the men were carrying, which contained almost 600 bars of cannabis resin.

The total consignment weighed 58.3 kg and had a potential street value of between £898,000 and £1.2 million.

Advocate Rebecca Morley-Kirk, defending Gautier, said that her client had been suffering from depression at the time and had been made redundant a few weeks before the offence.

‘He had been approached by his co-defendant once before and he had refused to participate in the importation,’ she said.

‘He was then approached a second time, but by then he had lost his job and it was in those circumstances that he agreed to assist.’

Advocate Jane Grace, defending Halais, said that her client did not know how big the drugs consignment was when he agreed to transport the package.

Deputy Bailiff Tim Le Cocq, presiding, said that the court had acknowledged that the offence appeared to be ‘out of character’ for the two defendants.

He added: ‘We understand that this misjudged action will have a profound effect on the rest of your lives.’

The Deputy Bailiff was sitting with Jurats Tony Olsen, Charles Blampied, Jerry Ramsden, Rozanne Thomas and Jane Ronge.

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