A MAN who claimed he was coming to Jersey as a scaffolder but who was actually smuggling cocaine worth up to £10,500 has been jailed for five years and three months.
The Royal Court heard that 32-year-old Andrew Patrick Borland, of Salisbury, Wiltshire, came to the Island on the ferry from Poole on 25 October last year, hiding the drugs internally.
Crown Advocate Lauren Taylor, prosecuting, said that while walking through Customs, drug detection dogs had shown interest in Borland. Customs officers recognised Borland from previous travel to the Island and questioned him.
Borland told officers that he was a scaffolder and had visited Jersey the previous weekend.
During a search, Borland was found to be in possession of cocaine.
He then claimed the drugs were for his own personal use, but the quantity indicated they had been for onward supply.
The Crown Advocate said they could have fetched between £6,500 and £10,500.
She said Borland pleaded guilty but added: “Considering the evidence available, the plea was almost inevitable.”
She suggested a sentence of six years.
Advocate Julia-Anne Dix, defending, asked for a sentence of five or less. She said her client was “not a sophisticated criminal” and had been taken advantage of.
She said: “Mr Borland was used by others due to his naivety and his lack of consequential thinking. This is another tragic case where a hard-working individual makes an impulsive decision that turns his life upside-down.”
The Bailiff, Sir Timothy Le Cocq, said the Jurats had agreed to a jail sentence of five years and three months.
The Jurats sitting were Elizabeth Dulake, Steven Austin-Vautier, Gareth Hughes, Alison Opferman and Michael Entwistle.
