Dealer arrived by ferry with £100k cocaine haul

A dealer who smuggled a "drugs shop" worth of substances including more than £100,000 worth of cocaine into the Isle of Man has been jailed for nine years.

Billy Marina was caught with the Class A drug hidden in a duffle bag in his car, which also contained large amounts cannabis and ketamine, after being stopped coming off the ferry in June last year.

Messages on his mobile phone later showed he was heavily involved in arranging the types and amounts being imported, Douglas Courthouse heard.

Jailing him, Deemster Graeme Cook said it was "quite clear" Marina was much more than "a simple courier" and had been involved in planning the operation.

Marina, of Birchwood Crescent in Alfreton, Derbyshire, arrived on the island on the ferry from Heysham at about 18:00 BST on 24 June, the court heard.

His silver Mercedes A-Class was stopped in a routine check by police and a search of the car was carried out using a sniffer dog after officers noticed a strong smell of cannabis.

Three black packages containing the drug were found inside the duffle bag, which also had a large amount of cash stashed in one of the pockets, the court heard.

A further search found more packages containing some £50,000 worth of cannabis and ketamine with a street value of between £10,000 and £12,000.

The court heard messages downloaded from his mobile sent on the previous day showed he was "heavily involved" in what types of drugs would be transported to the island and how much would be paid for them.

The prosecution said he was more than a "mere courier" and had played a "significant" role in the illicit enterprise.

He pleaded guilty to charges of importing cocaine, cannabis and ketamine and possession of each of the drugs with intent to supply.

His defence advocate said he had made a "catastrophic error of judgement" in getting involved with drugs and had been "extremely stupid".

In what he described as a "plea for mercy", the advocate said Marina had written a letter to the court to say he took full responsibility for his decision and the consequences it brought, but was asking for leniency so he could prove he could be a respectable member of society.

However, the deemster said it troubled him that "time and time again" he would see such letters, which "may or may not be genuine".

He said while he would take Marina's letter at "face value", those importing drugs "don't think about what they are doing to society".

"This island is becoming overwhelmed by the amount of drugs coming in in bulk and a message needs to get out there," he added.

Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.