Four years’ detention for drug dealer (21)

Four years’ detention for drug dealer (21)

Rorey Benjiman Allo (21) appeared in the Royal Court yesterday after pleading guilty to four counts of possessing controlled drugs with intent to supply, one count of possession of criminal property and one count of possession of controlled drugs.

Crown Advocate Matthew Maletroit, prosecuting, told the court how, on 15 February at 11.05pm, States police executed a search warrant at Allo’s home address at La Collette – a property he shared with his mother, although she initially denied that he lived there.

Despite this, officers forced entry into a locked upstairs bedroom and found the defendant’s passport, an array of drugs paraphernalia, drugs and cash. In another bedroom, they found a safe containing £695 in cash, herbal cannabis, MDMA tablets and cannabis resin. The defendant was arrested when he returned home.

During interview, Allo told officers that he was a daily cannabis user, spending around £200 on cannabis resin and that 100g of cannabis would last him for around three weeks. He also admitted that he would consume around four to five grams of MDMA each weekend.

A drug-trafficking expert for the police later determined that the combined street value of all the drugs discovered would be between £13,405 and £16,925 – with the MDMA powder alone valued between £10,000 and £12,600.

Addressing the court, Advocate Maletroit proposed a sentence of five and a half years in youth detention, adding that Allo’s offending was too serious to warrant a non-custodial alternative.

Defending, Advocate Mark Boothman agreed that the court would not be able to spare his client from custody. However, he argued the Crown’s recommendation was excessive – instead putting forward a term of four and a half years’ youth detention.

He said that his client had already spent 112 days on remand at La Moye – and that his experience had been made tougher by the Covid-19 crisis which, until recently, had prevented his family from visiting.

Advocate Boothman also revealed that his client had suffered mental-health issues due, in part, to his father walking out on him and his mother at a young age. He said that, as a result, he had turned to his older friends for support, who then introduced him to cannabis.

‘When these emotional issues took place he turned to drugs as a way to manage his emotions and as a coping mechanism. That does not excuse him but does set out why he got to where he is today,’ Advocate Boothman said.

He added that his client had no previous convictions, was remorseful and took the situation he found himself in extremely seriously.

In sentencing, the Bailiff, Timothy Le Cocq, agreed that the Crown’s recommendation had been too high.

‘We have taken the mitigation available to you into account, we note your early guilty plea, we note your previous good character, insofar as you have no previous convictions, the positive references provided and the remorse which you have shown which we take to be genuine.’

He added that the court also noted the defendant’s young age and background, referred to by the defence.

The court sentenced Allo to four years’ youth detention, ordered the confiscation of £2,926.06 and the forfeiture of drugs and drug paraphernalia.

Jurats Charles Blampied, Robert Christensen and Steven Austin-Vautier were sitting.

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