Sky-high street prices in the Island have long been an enticing prospect for criminals such as Liverpool gangster Curtis Warren, according to police, Customs and prosecutors. But now two former criminals based in Liverpool have said the streets in Jersey – free from the ‘hurly-burly’ of gang-fighting seen in major UK cities – is another attractive feature for organised crime groups.
Drug ‘mule’ Alexander David Cullen (29), from Liverpool, was jailed for 14 years earlier this month for his role in attempting to flood Jersey with an ‘unprecedented’ 10kg of heroin – worth up to £10million, according to experts. It was the largest single seizure of drugs the Island has ever seen.
Some of the class A drug was up to three-times stronger (almost 60% pure) than normal.
The Royal Court’s Superior Number, which convenes only for the most serious offences, heard that Cullen was working for a gang in an effort to clear a £20,000 drugs debts developed after Cullen became addicted to cocaine in Ibiza.
Before Cullen, Liverpudlian Alan Smitton was jailed for 17 years – an sentence that easily eclipsed the one handed down to Toxteth-born Warren in 2009 – for his role in masterminding two major drugs conspiracies in the Island involving heroin and cannabis and players in the UK and Jersey.
Today, one of the reformed drug criminals, who had links to Europe-wide crime groups and served time in prison, said: ‘There a few different things about Jersey which make it attractive. The first is that its an island. So there will not be a ready or easy supply of drugs.
‘So, if you manage to get drugs into Jersey you can charge higher prices. We all know that the street price in Jersey is higher than in the UK.
‘But in my opinion the latest haul in Jersey has been overvalued. Even accounting for higher prices in Jersey, 10kg of heroin is not worth £10m. But that is my view.
‘And the second major point about Jersey is that there is less competition. In certain parts of the UK you have to worry about other firms (drug gangs). But not in Jersey. It’s very much out of the way.
‘All the hurly-burly that happens in big cities does not happen there. Nothing happens there. So that makes it attractive.’
Drug prices – like any commodity – vary depending on if the product is sold at ‘wholesale’ or ‘retail’ level. In Jersey, a 50-bag of heroin – containing 0.05g of heroin – is worth £50. making 10kg of the drug worth £10million at street level. In the UK, a standard street deal is worth £10 and could contain up to 0.1g of heroin.
Another ex-Liverpool criminal said: ‘Jersey has an international reputation as a tax haven. There is a lot of serious money there, and some rich people like to take drugs. They are not fussed about the price – they are more concerned about the quality. You can make a lot of money in that kind of environment.’
The JEP reported earlier this year that the States police had mapped 11 known organised crime groups involved in the drugs trade that had links to Jersey. Authorities said the gangs had ‘tentacles’ in Jersey, UK and Europe.
