Drug trafficking 'kingpin' jailed for 20 years

The "kingpin" of an Isle of Man-based organised crime group involved in drugs trafficking and money laundering has been jailed for 20 years.

Jamie Smith, 38, was arrested after a recording device was installed in his room at the Comis Hotel over a six week period in late 2023, revealing his level of involvement in drug trafficking.

He was arrested in December 2024, and charged with being concerned in the supply and importation of cocaine, as well as being concerned in the supply of cannabis between August 2022 and November 2023.

Jailing him, Deemster Graeme Cook said it was "not very often that defendants of your stature appear in court, because you don't get your hands dirty."

The prosecutor told the court that although it was "impossible" to know how much Smith had profited from drugs supply, the 38-year-old said in phone calls that he had made between £1,000 and £4,000 a day.

Smith pleaded guilty to being concerned in importing cocaine, being concerned in the supply of cocaine, and being concerned in the supply of cannabis.

Douglas Courthouse heard that investigations had linked Smith to the importation of up to £249,000 of cocaine to the Isle of Man in October 2023, which had been concealed in a tyre.

The prosecutor told the court that audio recordings had shown that Smith was the intended recipient of the cocaine and was "pivotal" to its importation - saying in one conversation "the coke that got bust, that would have been mine."

In another telephone conversation, Smith had said: "I don't touch anything myself, I have a network. I have a warehouse, someone who picks that stuff up, someone who delivers, someone who deals with the money."

In calls, he frequently referred to himself as a "businessman" and a "celebrity," saying that he had been involved in drugs supply for 20 years, and had worked alongside a Merseyside-based organised crime group for 15 years.

And he said he would continue drugs supply on the island, adding "put me in jail, I will still supply."

The prosecutor told the court that the investigations had shown that Smith was an "orchestrator" of the Isle of Man-based organised crime group with links to a group in Merseyside.

Smith has previously been sentenced to five years for his involvement in a plot to import £310,000 worth of cannabis, along with 98 vapes laced with THC, to the island on a fishing vessel the Boy Shane in November 2023.

Douglas Courthouse heard that Smith initially was not aware that the drugs had been seized by police, and instead thought that they had been taken by a fisherman and, was looking to get weapons to recover them.

He was recorded saying he had a knife, and asked for a baseball bat or hammer, as well as asking if someone could take him to Peel.

The court heard Smith had racked up "considerable" drug debt while serving a previous sentence for drugs offences.

Having been held at gunpoint in Merseyside for a previous debt, "not paying was not an option", Smith's basis of plea said.

The Deemster told the 38-year-old "you were the kingpin of the organised crime group on the island".

He commended the police and Attorney General's Office for the investigation, and said it "sent a message" that those who "clearly play a leading role in drugs supply" on the island could be caught.

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