A 27-year-old man from Dumfries, Scotland, has been sentenced to prison after attempting to smuggle cocaine valued at £17,500 into Jersey.
Findlay Mackay was arrested on October 2 after arriving at Jersey Airport on a flight from Glasgow with his girlfriend. According to officials, customs officers conducted swab tests on his belongings, which returned positive results for cocaine.
During questioning, Mackay admitted, “I have an ounce inside me,” leading officers to recover five internally concealed packages containing 68.71 grams (2.4 ounces) of cocaine.
At sentencing in the Jersey Royal Court, Mackay received a prison term of four years and four months.
Authorities said Mackay initially claimed he and his girlfriend were visiting Jersey to see her sick grandmother, but the statement was later found to be false. During interviews, he revealed he had accumulated approximately £10,000 in drug debts due to heavy cocaine use and had been instructed by an unnamed individual from Manchester to transport the drugs to settle the debt. He also claimed he was threatened with violence against his mother’s home if he refused.
Paul Le Monnier, senior manager at the Jersey Customs and Immigration Service, acknowledged that drug debts can be a motivating factor in smuggling cases but stressed that personal accountability remains.
“Drug importations harm our community and those participating, regardless of their reason, should expect severe sentences,” he said.
