UK criminals who target island not 'untouchable'

Lengthy jail terms handed to two men involved in a Manchester-based crime gang's plot to smuggle cocaine to the Isle of Man show UK criminals are not "untouchable", police have said.

Kane Jones and Thomas Lindop, both from Failsworth, were jailed for 10 years and eight years respectively for their roles in taking £49,000 of the drug stashed in a car on a ferry to the island in February 2025.

Det Insp Jamie Tomlinson said their sentences reflected the "seriousness" of the offences.

The force would continue to do its "utmost" to identify and arrest UK-based criminals involved in drug dealing on the island, he said.

A third man, Scott Goulden from Warrington, was jailed for nine years last June after being caught with the drugs in his car following his arrival on the island by ferry from Heysham on 13 February.

At a sentencing hearing on Wednesday, Douglas Courthouse heard Lindop, 39, had been linked to the package through his fingerprints, while 32-year-old Jones was identified through phone messages and voice notes.

Greater Manchester Police carried out a search of Lindop's address in Densmore Street in Failsworth under an international search warrant before he handed himself in to the Manx authorities.

Jones, of Airton Close, was arrested by UK officers before being transported to the island to face charges.

Tomlinson said: "These individuals were important parts of this supply chain to the island but as a result of their involvement, they will now be spending a significant period in prison away from family and loved ones."

He said while they "no doubt thought they were untouchable in the UK", those "willing to take the risk of being involved in drug importations to our island, and the removal of monies off it" would face harsh consequences.

The case was an example of the Manx force's "excellent working relationship with our regional crime units and other constabularies", Tomlinson said, which represented "an extension of our policing capabilities".

"The investigative work to achieve these outcomes has been outstanding by all involved," he added.

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