A SERIAL drug offender who internally concealed almost £25,000 worth of cocaine and tried to smuggle it into Jersey has been jailed.
Lawrence David Mitchell (37) was sentenced to seven years in prison after he was found to have 112.15g of the class A drug in 16 condom wrapped packages when arriving on a flight from Liverpool on 21 July.
Crown Advocate Simon Crowder, prosecuting, told the Royal Court on Tuesday that when Mitchell was stopped by Customs officers, he told them he was travelling for a job interview, but did not have any contact details for the person he was meeting.
When searched, the defendant’s belongings tested positive for traces of cocaine and although officers did not originally find any quantity of the drug on him, he was arrested on suspicion of importation.
While in custody, Mitchell told officers –’I want to be brutally honest with you lads’ – and admitted to having cocaine concealed inside of him.
Crown Advocate Crowder told the court that the cocaine had a purity of 81% and a street value of up to £24,640. He described Mitchell as a ‘well-trusted drugs courier’ who was ‘not of good character’. He has 38 previous convictions – ten of which are for drugs offences.
Advocate Allana Binnie, defending, explained that Mitchell was ‘clearly at the bottom of the chain’, had no knowledge of the drugs’ purity, and disputed that he was a ‘well-trusted’ courier.
She explained that Mitchell had worked as a carpenter-joiner and was hoping to move to Jersey for more work, a higher rate of pay and a fresh start following the breakdown of his relationship.
Advocate Binnie told the court that news of Mitchell’s relocation plans spread through the ‘small but tough part of Liverpool’ and old associates approached him promising money and job opportunities in return for the importation of drugs into the Island.
She said that Mitchell felt that ‘saying no was not really an option’ as he was ‘scared of the repercussions’.
Since being on remand at HMP La Moye, Advocate Binnie told the court that the defendant had been a ‘model prisoner’ who had helped in an emergency medical incident, mentored a vulnerable inmate and enrolled on an Open University course to become a personal trainer.
The Bailiff Sir Timothy Le Cocq, delivering the sentence, said: ‘Couriers such as yourself play a vital role and must be sentenced accordingly.’
While he acknowledged that Mitchell was a ‘simple courier’, who had been ‘cooperative’ and behaved well in prison. He said that the ‘high purity’ of the drugs made them ‘more harmful’.
Commenting on a number of recent drug importation arrests, Luke Goddard, senior manager at Jersey Customs and Immigration, said: ‘These attempted importations demonstrate how the Island is being targeted by criminal organisations. The diligent work of Customs officers has disrupted their activities. The sentences of the courts reflects the seriousness of these offences and sends out an appropriate message to those involved.’
