A 28-YEAR-OLD man has pleaded guilty to importing thousands of MDMA pills into Jersey.
Michael Jordan Fernandes Veloso admitted that he imported MDMA tablets between April and July 2023, as well as the synthetic psychedelic drug 2CB in April 2023.
He appeared before the Royal Court on Monday, where his sentencing was adjourned until July before the Superior Number.
No bail application was made, and Veloso was remanded in custody.
His lawyer, Advocate Alexander English, called for the court to seek input from Public Health, police, and other stakeholders before the next hearing about the harmfulness of MDMA and whether existing sentencing guidelines remain appropriate today.
“Why are we sending young, otherwise productive members of society to prison for up to 10 years?” he asked.
But Crown Advocate Mike Preston, prosecuting, argued that the importation of thousands of ecstasy tablets remains a serious offence, and that any broader review of how different Class A drugs are sentenced is a matter for the States Assembly, not the courts.
Presiding judge Sir William Bailhache declined to order expert reports at this time, but said the issue could be raised again during the sentencing hearing later this summer.
